Nightmares
by kiyoyachi
Summary: *SPOILER ALERT FOR MOCKINGJAY*Katniss is worried. Peeta's nightmares are getting worse. Gale is back from District 2. Katniss's peaceful life is falling apart. A year after Katniss returned to 12 in mockinjay. The story is a lot better than this summary
1. Gale

I sit up quickly and turn to look at Peeta. He was thrashing. He never moved when he had nightmares. That was me. He punches my stomach involuntarily and I grunt in pain. I gip my stomach with one arm and use the other one to shake Peeta awake. I have barely touched him when he jumps up. He's panting now and his eyes are red from sleepless nights. His nightmares were getting worse. I didn't understand. _Shouldn't they be getting better?_ I think about a second before Peeta starts talking.

"Katniss? Why are you awake?" His eyes scan me and stop at my stomach. "Oh my god Katniss did I hurt you?" He asks quietly with a worried expression. He's still breathing hard and I notice he's shaking slightly and I was pretty sure it wasn't from being cold. It was the middle of the summer and I had kicked off my covers it was so hot.

"It's fine Peeta. Remember, if I can manage through the Hunger Games then I think I can stand a punch from a baker. Now go back to sleep." I answer him quickly hoping he doesn't notice the hint of pain in my voice. He doesn't. Instead, he nods and lies back down. I wait for him to close his eyes before sneaking out of bed. I slowly walk down the stairs and make myself a hot chocolate. I grab a chair and set it in front of the window that is right next to the front door. I stare out onto the street. I look at all the other empty victor's homes except for of course Haymitch's. Peeta had tried to make him stop drinking but that was a waste of time. At least Hazelle was keeping his house and yard clean. I feel a twinge of hurt as I think of Gale. Why did he leave me all of a sudden? I couldn't help but think that Haymitch had had something to do with it. Did he find a wife? Did he have children? Did he finally move on? And most of all, did he miss me? I missed him like hell. He was the only friend I had ever had. I stared at the night sky for a while and sipped my hot chocolate. The sun was just coming up now when I hear Peeta start walking down the stairs. I pick up chair and carry it back to the kitchen. I drop my mug into the sink.

"Morning Katniss." Peeta says cheerfully. I turn around and smile at him.

"Morning Peeta. You think you can bring back some cheese rolls from the bakery today?" I ask grinning. I loved Peeta's cheese rolls and he knew it.

"Sure. Want me to make you breakfast?" He made his way over to the refrigerator and pulled out some eggs and bacon.  
>"I'm okay. I'm not very hungry." I shrug. He turn to look at me. He raises an eyebrow.<p>

"Katniss what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing!" I lie. I hated how he could see right through me.

"Katniss, I know your lying. You can tell me." He walks closer to me and wraps his arms around my waist. I look up at him. He leans and kisses me. The warmth was there but wasn't as bright and warm as usual. _That was strange._ Peeta pulls away. "Now can you tell me?"

"Peeta…" I start but trail off. How was I supposed to tell him his nightmares were getting worse. "You.. your nightmares are getting more violent." The light from his eyes disappear.

"I know Katniss and that's why I wanted to go sleep in the guest room so I wouldn't hurt you again."

"But Peeta what about my nightmares? We help each other!"

"I… I think it would be better." He goes back to work on his breakfast and I head upstairs. I take a shower and put on some jeans and a dark green shirt. I secure my mockingjay pin on the shirt. "I'm going to work, Katniss. See you later!" I hear him close the door. I wait a few minutes before rushing to grab my father's hunting jacket and my hunting bag. Peeta didn't like when I went hunting. He said that it was a waste of an animal's life. I didn't agree since I never brought it home. I would give it to the butcher or Grease Sae for free. It would help keep their businesses open. If I had some extras I would give Hazelle some too. It was hard since Gale had left for District 2. She had to take care of 3 children by herself and clean up after Haymitch. I open the door and start running to the fence. I climb over it and grab my bow and arrows. I walk quietly through the forest finally feeling some peace. The forest was the place where I could escape reality. The reality that Peeta's nightmares were getting worse. The reality that people thought I was mental and sometime I thought I was too. And last, the reality that Gale was gone. By noon I've shot three squirrels and a turkey. I head back and go to The Hob. Or what used to be The Hob. It wasn't exactly illegal anymore so most people call it the store or marketplace now. I climb back over the fence and head into town. I deliberately avoid Peeta's bakery because he would be so disappointed in he saw me with my hunting gear. I'll talk to him after I've hid it all in the bushes or something then grab them again when I head back home. I walk into The Hob/Marketplace/store/whatever you want to call it. I head to Grease Sae first and she smiles when I pull out two squirrels.

"Looks like I'll be making some squirrel stew today! Thank You Katniss."  
>"You're welcome. I better get going to the butcher now." I wave good bye and go to the butcher and hand her the last squirrel and the turkey. We talk for about a minute before a customer comes in and starts asking about some deer. He wasn't likely to get some deer. Not my problem though. I walk a block then stash my hunting bag and jacket in the bushes then walk the next block to Peeta's bakery. I open the door and the sweet smell of dough floods my nose. I sigh peacefully and walk to the counter.<p>

I ring the bell and hear Peeta yell "Coming!" from somewhere deeper inside the building. "Now what can…" he starts before he sees me. "Katniss! What are you doing here?" He asks.

"Just came to visit my husband. Why? Is it illegal now?" I ask with a smirk on my face.

"No, no. I just didn't expect you to come." He opens up his arms which are covered in flour, frosting and dough. "Come here."

"Uh Peeta no offense but I don't want to get covered in frosting thank you very much." I say.

"Oh come on!" He says cheerfully. "You can survive some frosting. Now come here my little mockingjay." He exclaims and for a while he chases me around the store till he grabs me and hugs me tight covering me with flour and frosting and who knows what else.

"There you got me. You happy now?" I ask with a bright smile on my face. Peeta lets go and he has a troubled expression on his face. I follow his gaze and I see him staring out the window at a man not much older than us with dark brown hair and olive skin just like anyone else who lived in the Seam. He didn't look that special to me till I saw his face. It was unmistakable. It was him. It was Gale.


	2. He couldn't catch the girl on fire

**Thanks to anyone who is reading this! Hope you like it. **

**DISCLAIMER: Suzanne Collins owns all the characters I just own the writing.**

**Sorry I haven't written anything in a while. I promise I'll try to update more. I was on vacation but now I'm back! Yay! Anyway enjoy! Review! Tell me if you have any ideas on what should happen.. blah blah blah. Yeah… you know… I'm just going to click exit now… yeah… bye**

A million questions race through my mind. Why was he here? Why hadn't he visited my house yet or the Marketplace. Grease Sae would have told me if he was here. Wouldn't she? Why did Peeta step away from me? Wouldn't he want to make Gale jealous? I resist the urge to run out of the bakery like a maniac and pulling Gale into my arms. I missed my best friend and hunting partner. "Peeta?" I whisper.

"Yeah?" He replies.

"You see him too right?" I murmur.

"Who?" I look at him and I can tell he is trying not to grin at me.

"You know who!" I say angrily. This was not the time for him to be annoying.

"Yeah I see him. I guess you're going to have to go and talk to him, aren't you?"

"Of course I am Peeta! He was and probably still is my best friend! Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Well, the rest of Panem sure does." He grins and I roll my eyes. "Go on now." He gestures to the door. "I'll see you back home for dinner."

I smile "Don't forget the cheese rolls!" I say cheerfully then walk out the door straight to Gale. He's staring at the justice building, away from the bakery so I sneak up on him. I tap him on the shoulder and he flips around. "Hi Gale!" I say with a big smile on my face.

"Katniss…." He says nervously and runs one of his hands through his hair. I could tell he was nervous about something.

"What's wrong?" I ask curiously still getting over the fact that he was here, in district 12, in front of me. He never even called me. Never said good bye.

"You… you aren't mad?" He stares at me?

"As in insane or angry?"

"Both." He replies. I grin at him.

"You actually believed what they say on TV?"

"Well last time I saw you, you had just killed Coin instead of Snow."

"Please. Let's not talk about that…" My stomach flip flopped around in my stomach. The past was too painful.

"Ok. Just… you aren't angry?" He looked at me and I can see a hint of guilt in his eyes… pain. The fire that I saw in them last time I saw him was almost gone. It was just a little flame now.

"Why would I be angry? Well, I'm a little angry that you didn't call before you came. It was pure luck that I noticed you. I was in Peeta's bakery reminding him to bring home some Cheese rolls." I saw Gale stiffen at the mention of Peeta. _Stupid Katniss. Wrong thing to say. _"Sorry." I lowered my gaze to my feet.

"So you don't remember? Well… I'm not sure…" Gale started but his voice lowered and I couldn't hear him anymore. He was mumbling to himself.

"Are you okay, Gale?" I asked curiously. He looked like he was in so much pain and I realized that _I_ was the source of that pain. _I_ had chosen Peeta over him. My stomach twisted and I bit my lip hoping I wouldn't throw up.

"Yeah I'm okay."

"You want to see Hazelle? I can't believe she is still working for Haymitch!"

"My mom? She's still working for Haymitch? I told her she could quit since I was sending her half my pay roll from District 2. Come on I need to talk to her." He charged off towards the Victor's Village.

"Wait! Gale!" I shouted and ran after him. "I need to get my hunting gear." He flips around and raises one eyebrow.

"You've been hunting?"

"What it's not against the law is it? I might just start another rebellion if it is. Oh and remember there is no Rebellion without the Mockingjay." I grin he just rolls his eyes.

"Paylor wanted to ban it and there's just one signature missing from the form. Mine. Lucky for you I haven't had the chance to sign it."

"You wouldn't?"

"No I wouldn't. You know that. Paylor might still go along with it though. She doesn't exactly care what I think."

"Why would she ban hunting? It's how most of the people in The Seam survive. They get the food that I catch from the Butcher or Grease Sae for free. Some even go out into the woods but that's really rare."

"It's fine. I doubt the law will be strict. Now get your stuff. I need to talk my mom." Gale reassures me but I can see his frustrated.

"You go on ahead. I'll catch up." I wave him off. He nods and starts running down the path. _He doesn't need to run so fast does he?_ I turn back to the bush and grab my stuff, sneak past Peeta and walk down the path to the Victor's Village. I'm about to knock on Haymitch's door when I over hear part of Gale and Hazelle's conversation.

"Mom she doesn't remember! What am I supposed to do?" Gale cries angrily and I can imagine him pulling his hand through his hair. _What don't I remember? _

"Honey, I'm sure she just doesn't want to remember the past. It hurt her so much. I don't blame you for the bomb that killed Prim. I never will. You never knew it was going to be used on ourselves and the Capitol people." Hazelle reassures sweetly. _Prim? I killed Coin didn't I? I avenged her death…. Right?_

"Mom…" Gale whispers and I decided that this would be a good time to knock.

"Hello? Haymitch? Hazelle? Gale?" I shout.

"I'm coming" The words were slurred and hard to understand so I guessed it was Haymitch. Weird. He wasn't talking to Gale and Hazelle.

"It's okay Haymitch I'll get it." Hazelle says loudly.

"It's probably Katniss." Gale mutters. The door swings open and Hazelle is there smiling at me.

"Hi Hazelle!" I chirp.

"Hello Katniss. Come on in." Hazelle smiles at me brightly and gestures for me to walk in. I take a few steps in and drop my hunting gear by the door.

"Sorry I don't have any game left today. Promise I'll bring some tomorrow." I say to Hazelle.

"Oh no It's fine." Hazelle replies.

"Wait so you've been giving charity to my family? Mom, I'm sending half my pay roll from District 2 and you don't use it? Instead you stay here and help clean up after Haymitch and take game from Katniss?" Gale looks at Hazelle angrily.

"Peeta asked me to stay and clean Haymitch's house…" Hazelle mutters. _Peeta? Oh yeah he probably didn't like the smell that came from Haymitch's house when Hazelle said she didn't want or need to clean Haymitch's house anymore. _

"Peeta! Really? Don't listen to him!" He's looking at Hazelle but I can't help but think that it's more directed towards me.

"I'm sorry." I mumble, grab my gear and head across the street.

"Katniss! What's wrong?" Gale yells from Haymitch's front door.

"I know you hate me for choosing him over you but you didn't even call me! Not once since I left the Capitol. _You_ chose your fancy new job over _me._" I yell back at him and finish the two long strides to my front yard. I rush up the steps and fumble to get the keys out. Someone taps me on my shoulder and I gasp.

"Catnip… I could never hate you." Gale whispers. I freeze. I'm fully aware of his hand on my shoulder, sending electric shocks down my arm. My stomach twisted. I shake his hand off and quietly unlock the door and walk inside. _I can't still be in love with Gale. _ I feel like this would be a good time for a hot chocolate so I dump my hunting gear in a closet and walk quickly into the kitchen. I pour myself a cup from the pot I made in the morning and put into the microwave. I hear Gale walk slowly into the living room.

"You want anything to drink?" I ask. I lean against the counter and listen to the beeps of the microwave.

"Water's fine." I hear him reply. I grab one of the cups, that Peeta had painted, and fill it with water. The microwave beeps five times quickly then falls silent. I take the mug out and walk into the living room. I almost drop the drinks when I see what Gale is looking at. He's staring at one of the pictures I had neatly put on the fireplace mantel. I strain to see which one he's looking at but can't tell. I look back at the pictures and take count of which ones are there. Prim's. Rue's My mother's. Finnick's. My father's with the medal we got when he died. I freeze. He was looking at the one of him. I had stared at it for so long hoping and wishing he would visit. Now I wasn't so sure if it was a good idea.

"Uh.. here's your water." I stick out the cup towards him and he takes it. He puts the picture back up on the mantel then sits down on the couch.

"So I've made it up on to the mantel of death have I?" He flashes a smirk but it quickly returns to his pained expression.

"You might as well have been dead." I mumble and sit down in the chair next to the couch. I hear a hiss and something yellow jumps up on me. I scream then realize it was just Buttercup. "Stupid Cat. Why haven't you died yet? You're almost 17 years old." I push him off but he continues to hiss at me.

"I'm surprised you haven't killed it yet. I remember you used to complain about that cat all the time." Gale smiles a little but then it disappears.

"I kept him for Prim and I guess Peeta. He actually likes the stupid cat." I throw imaginary daggers at Buttercup and he hisses at me. Gale shrugs and looks down at his water.

"So how's 2?" I ask nervously. Less than five minutes ago I had gotten angry at him about it.

"Horrible." He mutters.

"Why?" I take a sip of my hot chocolate.

He looks up and stares right into my eyes. I feel butterflies all over me. All of a sudden all I want is him. I shake my head. _No._ "Because you're not there."

"Gale… Please… No…" I whisper and look away. His eyes were full of guilt, hurt and longing. My Gale was gone.

"I know." Gale leans back into the couch.

"Anyway." I start. "You have anywhere to stay while you're here?"

"I was going to stay at the army base. Madge offered to let me stay at the Mayor's house. Can you believe that she's the mayor now?" Madge's family had died during the rebellion when 12 got bombed. She had escaped but couldn't find 13 . She lived in the little cabin that I had found Bonnie and Twill in. I found her when I was hunting one day. She automatically became the mayor because of something in her father's will and I had to admit that she was doing a great job. In the few months that she had been mayor the poverty rate in 12 had gone down by a lot.

"I know! It's so weird. We were going to hold a vote but then I found her. You know some people wanted you to come back and be the mayor." I try to smile but it comes out more like a grimace.

"Really?" Gale brightens a little.

"Yeah." Gale smiles a little. "You can stay here if you want. It'd a little better than an army base made out of tarps don't you think?" Gale doesn't respond. "Come on! Peeta won't mind and we haven't talked for a while now. Please?" Gale shifts his weight uncomfortably.

"Fine." He mutters. I smile happily at him. Gale rolls his eyes. Buttercup hisses. Gale leans forward. I do the same. Then I freeze. _What am I doing?_ I lean back quickly right before I hear the door unlock.

"Katniss! I'm home!" Peeta yells. I jump up.

"Okay!" I yell back. I jump up and walk quickly to the front door. "Is it okay if Gale stays with us while he's here?" I whisper. Peeta just shrugs.

"I don't care. Sure. He'll have to sleep on the couch though."

"What? Why?"

"Katniss… I don't want to hurt you... Just… Please" Peeta mutters.

"Peeta, you think that a few kicks or punches from you while you're asleep will kill me? I'm have to live everyday with the guilt of killing thousands of people. I've gone through the worse pain anyone can have." I trail off. That wasn't true. I still had Peeta. Gale instead… he's living with the guilt too but he didn't get the girl of his dreams. My stomach twists. If only there was a way I could have both. I hated that Gale no longer had the fire that kept him going. A little annoying voice in my head nags me, "Katniss. You did that. You caused him that pain. You're the reason why his fire is gone. The boy with the snares couldn't catch the girl on fire."


	3. Letters

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed and are reading this right now! I'll keep writing if people keep reading. **

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns everything. I just own the writing below.**

I grab a cheese roll, rip a piece off and eat it. Gale glares at his plate and Peeta pushes his mashed potatoes around. I look back and forth from them. Everyone had been quiet since dinner started. I was starting to think that inviting Gale was not a good idea. I finish up the squirrel that Peeta had cooked. I look at Gale's plate and the meal was gone. I look at Peeta and he just has a little bit of mashed potato. "Are you all done?" I ask them. Gale shrugs and Peeta nods. I stack the plates and carry them to the sink. I start scrubbing them furiously. A hand touches my shoulder.

"I can do that." Peeta whispers. I feel the same electric shock go down my arm.

"If you want to." I answer and step away from the sink. Peeta takes my place and continues to wash the plates. I walk into the living room and Gale is sitting down on the couch, writing in a notebook. "What are you writing?" Gale quickly slams the book closed.

"Nothing, just checking what I have to do tomorrow." Gale says but I can tell he is lying. His left foot was moving up and down nervously. I don't push more though because it was obvious he didn't want me to know about it.

"Okay." I shrug and sit down on a chair. "Really though, what do you do in District 2?" 

"I… uh.. I started out working with Beetee and creating weapons but now I'm training Peacekeepers." Gale mumbles. "Oh by the way, Beetee really wants you to visit so you can test out some of the bow and arrows."

"Oh. Well, I guess I could sometime." I answer.

"Katniss, did you ever read my letters?" Gale blurts out. "Never mind."

"Oh… I guess I forgot. Sorry. I started to just let the mail pile up. I didn't really… you know… it brought back bad memories of Prim." I mutter. Gale hesitates before he nods sympathetically.

"Katniss!" Peeta says loudly from the kitchen.

"What?" I yell back. Buttercup twitches from his spot in front of the lit fireplace.

"I need some help." Peeta answers with an urgent tone. I sigh and trudge into the kitchen. Peeta's standing there with a pill bottle and a glass of water.

"Since when do you take medicine?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Shh… Why are you so loud?" Peeta asks me with an equally loud voice.

"I wasn't very loud Peeta." I snatch the pill bottle away from him. "Why do you need these?"

"Someone told me it would help with my nightmares." Peeta mutters. His hair hangs in front of his eyes. His lips twitch. I had only lived with Peeta for a year but I could tell something was up. Suddenly, he grabs my arm and squeezes hard.

"Oww!" I yell.

"Give them back!" Peeta whines. I throw them back at him and he fumbles to catch it.

"Oh by the way Peeta, I'll sleep on the couch." I say. There was annoyance, fear and concern in my voice.

"Good." Peeta says. I pull up my sleeve and I'm welcomed to purple bruises where Peeta had gripped me. Peeta doesn't seem to notice since he's back to washing the dishes.

"Shit." I whisper. I pull the sleeve down and walk back into the living room. Gale's standing up, his hands clenched and concern all over his face. "I'm fine Gale." I answer him before he can say anything. "I'll show you your bedroom if you want." Gale relaxes a bit.

"Sure." He replies and I can swear I see the ghost of a smile on his face. I can't help but smile back. I lead him to back of the house and show him a neutral colored room. A queen size bed sat in the middle, two wooden nightstands beside it. A dresser sat next to the door to the bathroom and there was a pile of canvases piled up in one corner.

"It's not much, but it's cozy once you get used to it." I explain. "You have any bags."

"I've got a backpack but otherwise that's it." He replies.

"How long are you staying?" I ask him. I hoped he would stay forever but that was impossible.

"For a week." Gale answers. He sits down on the bed.

"I'll get your backpack." I say as I exit the room. I walk into the living room and eye the notebook on the table. It was open to a page. I didn't want to snoop but then again I would have to look at it to put it in his backpack. I pick it up and read what's on the page.

Dear Catnip,

Should even still call you that? I'm so so so stupid, Katniss. I miss you more than anything. I've tried everything. Please. Please, Katniss. Forgive me. The bomb wasn't meant for her. It was meant for the Capitol people. Not for sweet innocent Prim. She was like a little sister to me. I still love you Katniss. I guess in the end the boy with the snares couldn't catch the girl on fire.

I drop the notebook. He still what? I close the notebook quickly. And what did this have to with Prim? Prim was with mom… or was she with dad? I shudder. Memories were getting foggy and I couldn't tell if it was my arrow that killed Coin. If Prim was dead. Or sometimes… where I was. I kept thinking I was back in 13 or in the arena. I found Gale's writing sweet but… I mean… I love Peeta. I stuff the notebook in the blue backpack that was under the coffee table. I carry it back to Gale's room and hear water running. I drop it on his bed and yell good night.

After I've changed into some PJ's and made myself another hot chocolate I sit down on the couch. I look at the pictures on the mantel. Was Prim really dead? A wave of grief washes over me. I feel tears at the edges of my eyes. I look away quickly. I remembered something about Prim getting hurt but it was so hazy I thought it was a dream. Prim. Mom never called. The only thing in the past year keeping me sane was Peeta and I's marriage. My life was so peaceful. It fell apart last night. Gale probably showed up in 12 then. I get up and grab the mail basket. I run across the street and start knocking on Haymitch's door.

"Open up! I need a drink!" I yell. Then add more softly "And some to talk too and help me read these stupid letters."

"WHO IN THE NAME OF THE CAPITOL IS THAT?" I hear Haymitch yell angrily.

"Katniss! Now open up the door before I kick it down!" I hiss.

"Oh, Hey sweetheart." Haymitch answers more calmly.

After Haymitch let me and handed me a drink, I'm sitting on an almost identical couch from the one in my own home. "Gale's back." I whisper.

"I know sweetheart." Haymitch takes a big swig out of a silver canteen. "Now what do you need."

"I need someone to help me read these stupid letters." I answer and drink the rest of drink. I nod towards the basket full of letters. All for me. Peeta actually checked his mail.

"Woah. I only let you in for a drink."

"You don't have to do anything just make sure I don't burst into tears or do anything stupid." I grab the basket and organize them by who sent it. None from my mother. A few from Paylor. About 5 from Annie. One from Johanna. One from Portia. Probably an invitation to Cinna's funeral. Wait a minute. They never found a body right. He could still be alive. But then again he probably was killed by one of those Peacekeepers right before the Quarter Quell started. The one thing that surprises me is the amount from Gale. I counted about 20. They're numbered on the front. Then I find something almost as horrible as the Hunger Games. There's one for Peeta. I look at the return address. Adonis Blindeye The rumored local drug dealer. I grip the letter harshly. I throw at Haymitch. He catches it. His eyes look at me with pity after he's read the name. "Sweetheart, it's the Hunger Games. It ruins everyone."

**Ooooo Twist. I've got a lot more for you. Don't worry ;) Tell me what you think. I actually haven't read a lot of Hunger Games fanfiction. I've only read about 3. Anyway, Happy Easter/Passover/another holiday that's this weekend. Keep reading and reviewing. I love it when I check my email and it's full of fanfiction notifications. I love reading reviews too. See you next time I update. **


	4. Hijacked

**Sorry the last chapter was so short. I just needed to get that part out. Anyway thanks for reading! It really makes my day when you read. I know that sounded cheesy. Oh well. Promise my this fanfic won't be too cheesy. ;)**

After Haymitch has calmed me down from my freak, I open the newest letter from Paylor.

Dear Katniss,

I would like to invite you to our one year anniversary of the end of the Hunger Games. I hope you will say a few words about the all the people and tributes that died during the Hunger Games and the war. I would also like to inform you that the President's mansion will be turned into a Hunger Games museum to prevent anything this horrible to happen ever again. I hope you will be there to open it.

Sincerely,

President Paylor

I hand it to Haymitch. "Do I have to go?" I whine like a little child. I really didn't want to.

"Of course you do! If I have to I'll tie you up and drag you onto that train." Haymitch replies. I slump over unhappily. More dressing up. "Besides I need some there that will have a drink with me." Haymitch smirks at me and takes another swig from his canteen. I open the other letters from Paylor that just say that there will be law changes blah blah. I open the one from Johanna.

Hey Katniss,

Miss you. I don't think I ever thanked you for the pine needles. I could really use them. Guess where they sent me instead. DISTRICT 3! I mean there are like zero trees. Anyway, I hear you're really messed up. Hope you get better!

Always your friend

Johanna

P.S. I could always send you some of "you know what". I mean I did steal yours.

I smile a little. Old fashioned Johanna. She used to take my painkillers after I was shot and lost my spleen. I open the ones from Annie and they're all pictures of little Finnick. I found out that his name was Boggs. Obviously, to remember the fearless leader of Finnick, Peeta, Gale and I's squad. He had the same sea green eyes that Finnick had. He had Annie's red hair. In general, he was adorable! Then I opened the one from Portia. I didn't find a letter. Instead, I found a picture. It was of me in my mockingjay costume after I had stopped twirling. The next day, Cinna died. I sigh softly. I missed my creative stylist. Then I opened the letter that I was dreading. I opened the letter from Gale that was labeled number 1.

Dear Catnip,

I'm in 2 now. I've got Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. I make weapons with Beetee. I miss you. I'm sorry I didn't say good bye. I'm sorry for all the stupid things I did. I wish we really had run off that day you volunteered. I wish I had done a lot of things. But, I guess it's the past. I have to live with it. I can't write for very long. Beetee wants you to test some of the weapons we made. No bombs I promise. Just swords, bow and arrows, and tridents. Please call me. Please forgive me. Please write back. I miss my little mockingjay.

Love,

Gale

I felt my heart split in half at the word "love". I grip the letter and hand it to Haymitch. I read the next few which aren't much different from the first one then I get to number 12.

Dear Katniss,

I met someone nice. I guess I'm moving on. I know you have. I wish you the best.

From your friend,

Gale

I resist the urge to rip up the letter. It was the first time he didn't write Catnip or "Love". He moved on. I felt disappointed for some reason. He did exactly what I wanted him do. Why was I sad? I forced myself to feel happy but the pain in my heart didn't go away. I yawn and rub my eyes. I look outside and see that sun was just rising. I had to go to the Capitol today. I had to tell Peeta to stop taking drugs. I had to ask Gale to stay somewhere else. In other words, I was not looking forward for today. I put the letters away and say goodbye to Haymitch.

I run across the street to my home. I find Peeta in the kitchen staring at nothing in particular with glazed eyes. I shake him. He screams and grips my throat. I struggle for breath. My lungs burn. Black spots appear in my vision. Then I see something move and find myself falling to the ground. I gasp for air. Suddenly, I feel very dizzy. Memories flash before me.

The time I found out my father had died. When I was starving and Peeta had thrown me bread. When I had met Gale and all the time we spent in the woods. When I volunteered for Prim. Meeting Cinna. The chariot ride. When the gong sounded and I grabbed the orange backpack. When I cut the tracker jacker's nest down. Meeting Rue. Blowing up the Career's food supply. Rue getting speared. Kissing Peeta for the first time. Cato getting mauled by the mutts. Kissing Gale. Getting sent back to the games. Cinna getting taken away by Peacekeepers. Mags dying to save me, Finnick and Peeta. Figuring out that the arena was a clock. Blowing up the arena. Finding out District 12 was destroyed. Agreeing to be the Mockingjay. Climbing to the roof and shooting Hovercrafts. Getting shot in District 2. Peeta trying to kill me. Finnick dying in the tunnels. Gale getting dragged away by Peacekeepers. Prim dying. Shooting President Coin. Then everything goes black. (and just before it goes back I figure out that my life would fit into three books... I had to add that :P)

I wake up in a bed. Gale stands in one corner of the room. He has a black eye and purple bruises all over his arms. A nurse stands at the end of my bed with a clipboard. She was scribbling something down. "Where am I?" I ask very quietly. There was throbbing pain on my neck. The nurse looks up at me then back at Gale and then she continues to scribble something down. I push myself up into a sitting position and wince. "Where am I?" I repeat a little loader this time. Gale looks at me. He crosses his arms.

"The hospital." He mutters. He rubs the back of his head.

"What happened to you?" I ask him with concern. I look at all the bruises on him.

"Nothing much except your husband trying to kill me." Gale says softly. What?

"What happened to me?" I ask and touch my neck softly. I wince.

"He almost killed you." Gale replies and meets my gaze. "If I wasn't they're you'd be dead right now." I shudder.

"Thanks for saving my life." I reply. Paylor's letter comes floating back into my mind and I take the IV out of my arm. The nurse just shrugs at me and leaves the room. She was a _great_ nurse. "Gale, you going to the one year anniversary thing in the Capitol?" I ask as I start getting up and out of bed.

"I wasn't going to but you're going to need some help so I guess I am now." Gale walks over and helps me onto my feet.

"You're going to go with a black eye?" I ask him as I walk slowly out of the room, his arm around me. It felt right.

"Well the prep team can fix that can't they?" Gale smiles at me. I snort.

"The last thing I want is the prep team making me all beautiful again. I've had enough of makeup." This was true but another reason why was because the prep team reminded me so much of Cinna.

Gale and I walk to the train station and buy tickets for the next train to the capitol. We have to wait a few hours so we sit down on a bench outside. I rub my neck. "Wow this hurts." I blurt out for no reason. Gale looks at me.

"I know Catnip. My eye hurts a ton too." Gale smiles softly but it disappears quickly. I get dizzy and have to lean against Gale so I don't fall off the bench.

"Peeta's fake memories are back aren't they?" I ask him. Gale nods. Then he looks at me the glint of a tiny fire inside his eyes. Maybe he was getting better.

"I swear on my father's grave Katniss, if he ever hurts you again I will kill him." Gale looks at me with longing and I lean forward a little. A part of me kept saying that I shouldn't be doing this but the rest was urging me forward. I look at his lips. So soft and perfect. I resist the urge to trace them with my finger. Gale shakes his head at me, probably reading my thoughts.

I climb onto the train and immediately want to run screaming off. It was the same train that had brought me to the Hunger Games. As if Gale can feel my hesitation he pulls me forward. I try to claw my way back to the door but a Peacekeeper had blocked a doorway. I grunt and give up. I reluctantly follow Gale the rest of the way into the train. I plop down on one of the plush couches by the window. Memories flood me but I lock them up and store them in the farthest corner of my brain. The Hunger Games was definitely something I didn't want to think about right now. A few more people get on but they quickly retreat to their rooms. I was half expecting Effie to appear but she didn't. Gale goes over to the buffet and grabs some stew. I feel the train lurch as it starts to pull away from the station. Gale hands me bowl.

"What's this?" I ask, eyeing it carefully.

"Lamb Stew." He sits down across me and starts wolfing down his own.

"Thanks!" I say brightly. I remembered that the it was the only things I didn't completely despise from the Capitol.

After I'm done and Gale has gotten another bowl. I watch him eat it. I notice he's gotten a little smaller. Has he not been eating? I tilt my head slightly. Gale notices and looks up at me. "You were right. This is the best thing ever!" Gale exclaims and continues to stuff himself with it. I smile. Boys sure loved eating.

"Don't eat too much. You'll get plenty when we get to the Capitol." I'm not sure if he's heard me. I shrug. We stop at District 11 and my mother gets on. She spots me and runs away from me. I shudder. My own mother couldn't look at me. I look at Gale. He takes a bold move and squeezes my hand, obviously noticing my mother ignoring me. I'm a little surprised but squeeze back. He lets go and I feel disappointed. We stop at District 4 and Annie and little Boggs come on. I wave at her and she happily walks over and sits next to me. "Annie, It's been so long!"

"I missed you both." She smiles at both me and Gale. "Where's Peeta?" Silence follows. 

"He.. uh… you know he got hijacked. Well, those memories came back and he tried to kill me. Gale suffered a black eye because of it. He's back at 12. Too dangerous for him to leave." Annie nods solemnly. I look down at Boggs and marvel at how adorable he is. "Can I hold him?"

"Of Course!" She hands him over to me. I smile at him and he giggles in return. Gale burst out laughing. I glare at him.

"What?"

"You said you never wanted kids but here you are smiling at one. Find it ironic." He smiles at me and I return it.

"It's different. I never hated kids. I just didn't want kids to suffer going through the Hunger Games." I shrug. We stop at District at 3 and Johanna jumps on. She sits next to Gale awfully close. Gale looks a little uncomfortable and when Johanna's not looking sends me a pleading look. My lips twitch as I try not smile. We stop at District 2 and Beetee walks on. He immediately starts updating Gale on something. It just sounded like nonsense to me so I tune them out. Annie and Johanna are catching up and I feel a little left out. I hand Boggs back and head to my room. I sit down on the bed and wonder how I would make through this restless night of nightmares.

**Hey! This is sorta a pointless chapter so it was hard to write. But the info here is important for later. Just wait… hehe… anyway that knows me personally knows that that is a sign for me going a little overboard on something. Oh well. It will be good. PROMISE. Review, and keep reading! **


	5. Cinna

**Okay. Yes I know the last chapter had abosolutly no purpose what so ever. This is a lot better. I sorta just needed a reason to get Gale and Katniss alone. Anyway… thanks for reading and reviewing. Chapter 6 will be out soon because tomorrow is Friday and stuff. Okay bye :3**

A feel a tug at my ankle and I start screaming. A mutt was trying to drag me into the water. The screams of my mother, Prim and Gale surround me. I try to grab onto something but the mutt keeps pulling. Finnick, Rue, Cato, Clove, Mags, Wiress and Thresh stare at me. Doing nothing. Cato smiles whenever I start screaming again. "Help me! Do something?" I yell at them. The water was at my waist now. The mutt never grew tired.

"We died because of you. Why should we save you then?" They reply in a creepy monotone kind of way. Horror sweeps over me. More mutts appear out of nowhere and start biting and clawing me.

I jolt awake. I had a thick layer of sweat on the back of my neck. I grip the comforter. "It was just a dream, Katniss. No need to worry." I try to reassure myself but the horror doesn't leave me. After my heartbeat has returned to normal I get up and wonder what to do. There was no way I would return to those nightmares. I wonder if my mother would let me into her room. I doubted it, now that my memories were more in order than usual I figured out that Prim was really dead but I didn't remember why or how she died. I open the door and stand in the hallway. I heard a baby cry softly somewhere to the right of me but I didn't want to intrude on Annie. I blush a little when I look at the room next to mine. Would it be cowardly to talk to Gale? No. It would be selfish. Peeta was in a hospital room in District 12 probably strapped to a bed while people played Real or Not Real with him. I make my way to the dining cart to get myself some hot chocolate. I find Gale sitting there. He doesn't notice me. His gaze is fixed on something outside that is far away. "Hey." I greet him. He looks at me.

"Was that you screaming?" He asks me. I nod and pour myself a cup of hot chocolate. "Are you okay?"

"I… uh… yes… no… I don't know." I sit down across from him and hold the hot chocolate close to me.

"You know sometimes it helps to tell someone about your nightmares." He tells me matter a factly. 

"Uh... okay." I shifted my weight uneasily. "Remember those mutts from the 74th Hunger Games. The ones that looked like wolves?" I start. Gale nods. "Well I was in the 75th Hunger Games arena and the mutt was dragging me under the water. My mom, you and… Prim were screaming but I couldn't see any of you." I take a deep breath and shudder as I remember the dream. Gale taps the spot next to him on the couch and I move to sit next to him. His deep gray eyes stare at me thoughtfully. He hesitates before he takes my hand. I smile at him but I also felt extremely guilty and selfish. Even though Peeta and I's warmth and love was dying away. I wasn't exactly sure that it was ever there. With Gale I felt like I could melt just under his gaze. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. " Finnick, Rue, Cato, Clove, Mags, Wiress and Thresh were just staring at me. Cato was smiling! I was screaming for help. They told me that I killed them so why should they help me?" I felt tears brim my eyes. "Gale… I've got a list of all the people's deaths I've caused. It's too long to count. I… I killed those people." I mumble. Gale takes my face in his hands.

"That isn't true, Catnip. The Capitol did that." Before I can respond his lips are on mine. It's soft and reassuring. I close my eyes and savor it. Gale pulls away and I wish he hadn't. This was a completely different kiss that when Peeta kissed me. This was true. This wasn't built on Capitol made lies. This made me feel like I was floating a cloud. "Night, Catnip." Gale tells me before he disappears around a corner.

I almost fall over as the train comes to a stop. Gale catches me and smiles at me warmly. I was starting to see the hint of flame deep in his gray eyes again. Paylor is there to welcome all of us. The tributes were the last people left on the train. "Welcome! Let's get you all to the Mansion. If you haven't heard it's going to be turned into a museum to prevent the Hunger Games ever again." In a matter of minutes I'm in my room, given a schedule and told that Gale has a joining room with me. I glance at the paper in my hands.

6:00 am: Breakfast

6:45 am: Prep Team

8:30 am: Stylist

9:00 am: One year anniversary tribute begins

9:30 am: Mockingjay gives speech

12:00 pm: Lunch Break

1:30 pm: Anniversary continuation

6:30 pm: Anniversary Feast

10:00 pm: Train to District 12 departs

I felt like I was back in District 13. Schedules were very important and had to be followed at all times. I look at the clock and decide to go grab some dinner. 

After I've eaten my fill I decide to explore the mansion. There wasn't much to do. There were rumours that food had been disappearing into an unmarked part of the dungeons. They had cut the food off a few days ago along with the water. I wanted to go find the truth behind them. I take the elevator to the bottom floor. I find more hallways and room but a couple doors were open. I peeked inside one and a horrible smell of vomit; blood and urine attack my nose. There was nothing in the room except for a gray metal button that I recognized as the one that delivered food. I quickly leave the room and look for a staircase. I doubted that this was the bottom of the mansion. There's one steel door and I kick it open. It swings open with a horrible high pitched squeak. Sure enough there was a staircase behind it. I run down all the stairs till I get to the bottom. I out of breath and I think I've run down at least 10 floors. All the doors down here were open. The same smell attacks me. I run my hand along the walls and come to a dead end. I figure that Snow would be smart enough to install a hidden door. My hand feels a lump and if I examine it closely it looks like a tiny doorknob. I never would have noticed it if I hadn't run my hands along. I twist and pull. There's a small room behind it and a crumpled heap lies in the middle. They moan in pain. They're covered in blood and vomit. They roll over and horror seeps through me.

"Oh god! No!" I scream. I run over and place Cinna's head gently on my lap. "Stay with me Cinna. Please!"  
>"Did you do it? Did you win?" He wheezes out.<p>

"We did it Cinna. Thank you so much for the mockingjay outfit. Thank you so much for everything." Tears start to drop onto his filthy face.

"Good." He mutters. "Now I can leave in peace. I will always be betting on you Katniss." He closes his eyes. I shake him.

"Don't you dare leave me! Cinna… please… stay strong!" I scream at him but I can already tell. He's gone. He was tortured and left here to die. They turned off the water and food supplies to his room. I start screaming. I didn't want to leave his side. My poor stylist. Poor Cinna. The one who created my beautiful costumes. I'm not sure how long I'm screaming. My voice gets hoarse and it hurts but I keep screaming on. I hear footsteps echo around the hallway. Gale appears at the doorway.

"Catnip! Are you okay?" He rushes forward but hesitates when he sees Cinna. "Is that…" I nod solemnly. I had finally stopped screaming. Gale had never met Cinna but he had seen him on TV and heard everyone talk about him in District 13. He crouches down beside me. He gently takes Cinna off my lap. He grips my shoulders and helps me to my feet. He picks up Cinna gently and we make our way up to the ground floor. On the way I ask Gale how he found me. He said that he felt like something had happened to me. After I glared at him for a few seconds he gave in and told me that he had found a hidden channel security channel and heard me screaming.

The next day, after the prep team has made me all pretty again. Or how they like to call Beauty base zero I'm handed a beautiful red, yellow and orange glittery dress. If I press a button it starts glowing like candle light. It was one of the dresses Cinna had made me before he literally died in my hands. I head outside and take my seat at the front with the rest of the tributes, Plutarch, Cressida and Gale. Gale takes my hand and squeezes a little. I smile at him, thankful for his support. Paylor takes the stage and starts into the history of Panem. Most people have heard it a million times so I zone it out. Finally, Paylor asks me to come up and talk. I make my way up the stairs and take the microphone from Paylor. I didn't have an organized speech but all I had to think about was all the people that died because of me before inspiration comes to me.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of Panem. We've all suffered through the Hunger Games. Forced to watch our children kill each other and die. Others like me have suffered in a different way. We have nightmares. We become insane, start drinking just to try to forget. We may leave the arena, but it never leaves us. I had an ally named Rue when I first went into the Hunger Games. She was the sweetest little girl I've ever met. Reminded me so much of my own little sister, Prim. When she got speared in the stomach and died in my hand, that's when I knew that Snow had to pay for what he did." Murmurs of disapproval flood the crowd. There's a bang and I'm falling backwards to the ground. A piercing pain in my shoulder. Another bang and Paylor's falling down with me. Some screams and it takes me a moment to realize it's me. Gale's by my side, putting pressure on my shoulder. People are yelling and everything's turned to chaos.

"Stay with me Catnip. I l…" Gale whispers right before blackness takes me over.

**Soooo what do you think? Cinna was alive the whole time and Katniss was just shot on live TV. What do you think Gale was trying to say right before Katniss blacked out? Read, favorite, subscribe, review. Wow that sounded like a youtube thingy… nevermind…. I'm really weird… just to let you know I don't edit the stuff that's bolded and underlined. So I guess I'm going to be embarrassing myself a lot. Oh well guess I gotta deal. See you next time I update! :3 xoxo**


	6. Sniper POV

**Thank you guys sooo much for all the positive feedback! Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks!**

Snipers POV (not going to tell you who it is yet)

Katniss' voice rang out below me. I pick up my sniper and take aim. I take a deep breath. This would make her pay. I lock on to her head. The last few words of her speech ring in my head. She didn't kill Snow. She killed Coin. I take another deep breath and shoot. Screams ring out. Paylor is staring eerily right at me. I lock onto her head and shoot again. She must have seen me. That stupid Hawthorne kid was by Katniss' side trying to stop bleeding. I look closer and notice I had missed her head. I slap myself and run off the rooftop. I did it. I made her pay for killing Coin and faking her little insane act. She seemed completely sane last time I saw her. Last time I saw her…

"_Hey come back here!" Katniss yells at me. I keep running. Leaves scrunch under my feet. "What's wrong? I can help!" I almost snort at her retort. She could help me? The only way she could help me was by going back in time, which was impossible, or dying, and that seemed pretty impossible too. She went to the Hunger Games _twice, _and she still lived. She didn't even lose her life to torcher or prison, even though she killed her. She killed so many people. Yet, she was left to live a beautiful, peaceful life in District 12. "Please! I promise I won't hurt you! I'm not insane like you think I am." That was it. I almost snapped and pulled out my knife and killed her right then and now. I took a deep breath. No. I had to show everyone that she could be beaten. That she could suffer and die just like everyone else. I clench my fist. Her peaceful life was about to get ruined by guess who. Me._

**So I have to study for a geo test but I thought I would give you guys this little part. Comment on who you think it is! It can either be someone new or someone that Suzanne Collins created. Thanks! Till the next update. Bye! :3**


	7. You're a survivor

**Thanks sooo much for reading this story. When I started I thought that nobody would read it and I would just be writing this for nobody but my brain that just couldn't accept the end of Mockingjay. For me it was the worst ending ever. It just ends… anyway enjoy :)**

I float in and out of consciousness. One minute a blurry image of someone checking my temperature and the next I'm in a tree with Rue snuggled up next to me. Another minute I'm in a bright white room, strapped down to a bed, and then I'm in a meadow with Prim. It was full of Primroses and there was a pond surrounded by Katniss tubers.

I'm about to shoot a turkey when a voice appears out of nowhere. "Katniss? Can you hear me?" The voice says to me softly. I jump and let my arrow fly. It missed the turkey by a lot and lands in a bush about 10 feet away.  
>"Who are you? Where are you?" I ask cautiously. I feel something brush my arm, but when I look there's nothing there.<p>

"Gale. I'm right next to you." Gale tells me.

My eyes flutter open and I'm staring up at a bright light. I lift my left arm up but an excruciating pain stops me. It takes everything for me not to scream. I lift my right arm instead and shield my eyes from the light. "Can someone lower the brightness on that light?" I ask groggily.

"It's on the lowest setting already." Gale says softly. "You okay, Catnip?"

"It depends. What happened?" I push myself into a sitting position.

"Uh well." He stutters. He runs his hand through his hair. "You sort of got shot."

"I know that." I interrupt him. "What happened after I got shot?"

"Oh well. That. Um… I don't know how to say this. Well, Paylor got shot and was well… killed on impact. The capitol is in political chaos. People are worried and scared and no one saw who shot you or Paylor." He explains. I nod as I let the knowledge sink in.

"Wait? Paylor's _dead_? Why did no one see the shooter? I mean there were millions of people at that rally. There must have been at least _one_!" I exclaim and here some beeps start to get faster with my heart beat.

"Calm down. You need to stay calm. You just got stitches and a surgery. You can't rip them or you could cause more damage. Please, Catnip." He takes my arm lightly. I take a deep breath.

"Who's going to be President now?" I ask once I've calmed down enough to ask.

"Well, a couple people want to run, but there haven't been enough peacekeepers to get rid of the chaos. They need to see you and know that you're okay. We'll just have a live broadcast, of course; don't want the shooter to shoot you again." Gale responds. The world starts to spin again and I grab Gale's hand. He starts to get blurry and but I try to hold on.

"Don't leave…" I wheeze out, the words slurred and faint, just before I fall back into a deep sleep.

I wake up in the same room but it was dark and eerie. There was a dark figure at the end of my bed.

"You should have died you know? You've lied about _everything_ but you're still alive and welcome in this world." The figure hisses. The words came out almost robotically, no way to tell if the figure was male or female, young or old. "I would kill you now but," they pause then gesture towards Gale who had fallen asleep on top of right arm, which was now numb. "Anyway, don't think your safe Katniss. You never will be." They walk out without another word, leaving me with my thoughts.

I'm already awake when Gale starts to stir. His lips move, silently forming a word. I would have asked for a hot chocolate to pass the time but of course Gale was on the only arm that worked without me screaming in pain. I sigh softly. _What did they mean? Was the shooter in my hospital room? Should I tell someone? No. I'll just cause more panic._ "Hey, Gale." I whisper softly. He mutters something but his eyes remain closed. I move my arm slightly causing it to be assaulted by a thousand pin pricks. Gale's eyes finally flutter open; his smoky grey eyes were soft and looked sleepily at me.

"Hey, Catnip." He mutters softly, his voice was slow and calm because he was just waking up. "What's up?"

I didn't want to ruin the moment so instead I wiggled my arm out and pulled him towards me and planted my lips on him. He was startled but quickly relaxed. I wanted to freeze this moment forever and live in it. I didn't want to have to live with the guilt of kissing someone other than Peeta. I wasn't even sure if I loved him anymore. It would be okay to file for a divorce while your husband was in a hospital room and wanted to kill you more than anything, right? I froze at this thought. Gale pulls away and looks at me thoughtfully.

"What was that kiss for? I'm not in any pain." He says with a confused tone. He looks at me a little longer. "What's wrong?"

Did Peeta somehow sneak out and shoot me? How would he get to the Capitol? There would be guards at his door right? There was no way he could have gotten out of that hospital room, or get onto a train going to the Capitol. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what I _needed _to do. "Peeta." I mutter one word and Gale gets hard and stiff again. I could see him clenching his jaw.

"I get it you're married to the bread boy and you feel guilty. I should understand, I feel guilty, every, single, day." He starts then leans toward me again, his stare as hard as stone. "But Katniss, I know you better than anyone. You're a survivor. I said something like this to Peeta a while ago. You would choose who you couldn't survive without. It's a cruel way to put it but it's true. There's just one thing I have to tell you. We were surviving together for years before Peeta came along. I don't see a reason in life without you. I swear if you died on that stage yesterday I would have just gotten down on the ground next to you. I wouldn't even care about life. All I care about is you. You are my world. I _need_ you. I love you, Katniss." This brought tears to my eyes and I was speechless. I was extremely guilty now.  
>"I love you too." I whisper so quietly I can barely hear it. Gale smiles and hugs me tightly. "Ow!" I yelp and pull away. My left arm and shoulder were screaming at me in pain.<p>

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I forgot." He looks down.

"It's okay, but I have to say something too. Peeta shot me."

"What?"

"Peeta shot me."

"He's strapped to a hospital bed in District 12. Guards at his door 24/7. It wouldn't be possible. Plus how would he get here. He would have been on the same train as us then. That was the last one that would have made it in time." I frown. There goes that theory. I shrug.

"I just thought…" I stutter. "He thinks I'm a mutt and that I should die so I won't kill him first." I frown again. Peeta couldn't be the person in my room earlier. He would have killed me on the spot. "Never mind. It was a stupid idea." I lean over and kiss him. A nurse walks in and stares wide eyed at us. Haymitch walks in after her and waves her off.

"Meh. Leave them alone. Katniss' husband just tried to kill her." The nurse starts to walk out of the room quickly but throws a quick glance over her shoulder revealing a terrified, grimace.

"Oh yeah. People think we're cousins." I say after I've pulled back.

"Well, everywhere but 12 and 2." He pulls his hand through his hair nervously.

"What?" I stare at him suspiciously.

"Nothing. You should visit sometime." He grins at me mischievously.

"I second that." I reply.

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt this love fest that will get the last Capitol freaks all excited but I have to talk to Katniss."

"Oh sure. I'm all ears." I smile at him. He glares at me. My smile quickly turns into a frown.

"We found your shooter." He replies. I stifle a gasp and Gale grabs my right hand.

**HAHA. I'm so evil. I'm going to end in a cliffhanger. You guys are just going to have to wait to find out who this assaisn/shooter/ sniper person is. I don't know what to call him/her. See ya!**

**Okay I'm not that evil so I'm going to write a tiny bit more.**

"Who are they?" I ask quickly.

"A Pro-Snow teenager. The murder/assault weapon was found in his bedroom closet. It was a perfect match to the bullet." As Haymitch explains I see two tiny eyes peer out of an air vent. They reminded me so much of Rue's I almost started crying. Instead, I watched the eyes carefully from the corner of my eye. They disappear and I can hear the faintest sound of metal groaning as if someone was crawling in it. I had a terrible feeling that the killer was still on the loose.

Shooter/Killer/Sniper POV

I move quietly but quickly towards Katniss' hospital room. I reach the vent and push myself down low and look carefully into the room. Something Hawthorne, was sitting on her bed. Suddenly, they pull together and kiss. I grab my camera and snap a picture quickly. A nurse almost screams when she sees them and I don't blame her. If I still believed Katniss' lie about Hawthorne being her cousin I would be throwing up right now. I almost regretted not killing her in her sleep. At least I had put that old Hunger Games tracker into her leg. I would now be able to track from wherever she was at all times. Haymitch walks in and after a few seconds of muttering that I can't understand I hear what Haymitch says clearly.

"We found your shooter." I almost burst out laughing. Poor teenager. He just lived in the wrong house I guess. I crawl out of view and crawl my way back to the exit of the vent, mentally planning my next attack on Katniss.

**Okay this the real end. I don't have a lot of stuff to do for the rest of the week so I might get Chapter 7 out by Friday. Thanks for reading. Review! Favorite! Do whatever. BYE GUYS! :)**


	8. Kidnapped

**Hey people! Thanks for reviewing and reading! I'll try to update often, but I've got school and stuff. Anyway… ENJOY!**

After Haymitch told me who shot me, which I didn't totally believe, I was allowed to take a shower and get some clean clothes on. Nothing really happened except I found a tiny bump on my leg. I didn't think much of it; it was probably a mosquito bite or something. I put on some jeans and a blue t-shirt, tied my hair into a single braid and secured my Mockingjay pin on my shirt. I attempted to brush the knots out of my hair but didn't have much success. Hopefully the prep team will help with that.

I sat down at the table, moving my left arm slightly so it wouldn't hit the table. The nurses had told me that it had to be in a sling. I was surprised to find so many people in the dining room. Gale, Haymitch, Effie, Plutarch, Cressida, Annie, Johanna and Beetee were all there. I sat across from Gale and in between Effie and Annie. Johanna was to the left of Gale and Beetee was on his right. Cressida, Plutarch and Haymitch were at the end of the table, caught up in a conversation. I struggled to pick up the fork with my right hand. Once I did get some food in me, my stomach started churning and I held back the urge to throw up. I excused myself, for Effie's sake, and made my way back to my bed. I barely made it before I threw up in a small trash can by my door.

An hour later, Gale came to take me to the prep team. I finished sucking on my candy cane to get rid of the awful taste of vomit and followed him down. They fiddled with my hair; I saw them stare at my hair with a slight disgust. They finally sighed and decided to put it up. They handed me a strapless red dress that fell right above knees. It was simple but stylish. Once I was done there, Cressida ushered me into a recording room and set me in front of the camera. She counted down from five. A few crew members looked around nervously. I eyed them suspiciously. One was staring at the air vent. Gale gave me a thumb up and I rolled my eyes. I was horrible in front of the camera. Cressida mouthed "action" to me and I started reading off some cards people were holding up behind the camera.

"Hello Panem. I'm alive …" The rest of words rolled right out of me without me really paying much attention to them. Finally, I said goodbye and I walked out of the room. Haymitch was glaring at me, while everyone else was looking at the reaction from around Panem. I walk up to him. "What?" I ask him, I was a little irritated with him.

"You're a horrible actor." I snort involuntarily.

"Not the first time I heard that." I squeak.

"And you won't ever hear it enough till you actually pay attention to what you're saying, sweetheart." Haymitch replies. I shrug. "You were always better when you improvised." He sighs. "Glad you're alive, sweetheart."

"Thanks." Everyone starts packing up and leaving the room. Gale grabs my right arm, sending butterflies down my arm. I almost melted under him. I felt extremely guilty and selfish.

"Come on we need to get you to your room." I grunt in annoyance and he flashes me a sympathetic look.

Once I was back in my bed and hooked up to the IV and left to my thoughts, I groan in boredom. "I feel so useless." I mutter to myself. Beetee had asked Gale help him with something from work so I was left by myself. I look up at the ceiling. "There's nothing to do. Maybe they could hook me up with some more Valium so I would at least be left to my dreams." The phone on the nightstand starts ringing and I reach over to pick it up. "Hello? Room…" I glance over at the door. "268. How can I help you?" I almost started laughing at myself. I sounded so stupid.

"Katniss. Get out of there." I blink startled.

"Wha…"

"GET OUT OF THERE! YOU HEAR ME!" The line goes dead. I pull out my IV and start pulling myself out of bed. I was almost to the door but it was too late…

BOOM!

The world starts shattering before me. I'm pushed down to the ground. Smoke floods my senses. I try to breathe in but all I get is smoke. There's a huge pain in my leg and my left shoulder. I can faintly tell that there's screaming and shouting coming from outside the door. I try to pull myself over to the door. Suddenly, a bunch of the ceiling falls down in front of door. I turn around and pull myself under a table. I curl up and try to ignore the pain I was feeling everywhere. When I looked around the room I could see a fire in the other corner. _Oh God. This is the end. I'm going to die in this hospital room with stitches in my shoulder and a broken leg. There was so much I wanted to do._ I would have started crying if I didn't know better than waste valuable H2O. I hear another loud boom and soft crackle of fire burning wood. Heat touches my back and I scurry away from the table just before it topples over and fire consumes it. The fire was finally spreading towards me and I wasn't sure where to go. I curl up into the fetal position. It was a pathetic move but I wasn't sure what else to do. Black spots appear in my vision and I can just make out a black figure, jump out of the air vent and put a black hood over my head. A sweet smell floods my nose and I start flinching. I struggled not to breathe it in but eventually I had to. The last thing I remember is being carried to the window and feeling the strong wind on my skin as the kidnapper jumped out carrying me with them.

I cough and blink my eyes open. I had horrible throbbing headache, my right leg was numb with pain and my left shoulder was covered in blood. I was in a room made completely made out cement. The room was empty except for the chair I was strapped in, a lone light bulb above me and a metal door in front of me. Panic seeps in and I try to rip my arms out of the chair. I keep coughing up tar from the smoke and a few spots of blood, which alarms me. I could tell I was not in good hands. I desperately wanted Haymitch, Gale or someone I knew to find me. I take deep breaths and try to lower my heart beat to normal. _Who could hate me so much to lock me in a room with no food or water strapped to a chair, I hope isn't electric? Why would anyone hate me so much? Who kidnapped me? _ I hear some locks twist open and a second later I got an answer to my question.

**Mwahaha. Cliffhanger. It's a real cliffhanger this time. Sorry. Sorry this was a shorter chapter too. I've been busy and I wasn't so sure what to write about but anyway review! Thanks! See you next time I update.**


	9. Tortured

**Hope you like this… Anyway… again sorry for cliffhanger… Enjoy! **

**WARNING: Don't read before bed and some people might find this disturbing. Most of this writing comes from watching CSI and other crime TV shows. So you'll be okay with it if you watch those shows.**

I blink at her. She looked almost exactly like President Coin but younger with blonde hair. It horrified me that some so young could be so… so… evil. She smirks at my expression. She steps toward me and kneels down in front of me so we're at the same height. "Hey, sweetheart." Her expression hardens. "Or should I call you Liar."

"I'm not a liar." I say, hoping she didn't notice my voice waver a bit.

"Oh, really?" She gets up and pulls out an envelope. "I've got evidence that you've lied." She pulls out a picture of a TV with an image of me kissing Peeta. Then she pulled out a picture of me hugging Gale when I came back from the Hunger Games. Was she a stalker? "You never did love Peeta did you? What happened to that baby?" She flashes me a grin that made me shudder. She pulls out another picture and I shiver. She _was_ a stalker. She was in my air vent! The picture was of me kissing Gale. She pulls out sheet with a bunch of scientific language I didn't understand. "I know Gale isn't your cousin. You two aren't even related back 10 generations. I didn't want to go back anymore. I'm not that insane." She puts the pictures and sheet back into the envelope. "Now, let's talk about what you did to my mother and your speech the other day." My jaw drops.

"You're Coin's daughter?" I ask her, with wide eyes.

"Oh you just realized? I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you my name now. Calaysee Coin." She pulls out a picture of me shooting coin. I wince. That was not the brightest part of my life. "Why'd you kill her, huh? Wait, I don't care. All I want is you to pay for your lying game, for your _killing_game. I'll be back in a few." She grins at me. Calaysee's eyes flash a hint of rage, hatred and excitement. She was insane. Calaysee exited my holding cell. I leaned down and started biting the leather bands that held my wrists to the metal chair. It ripped a little but I heard the locks open again so I sat back up straight. Calaysee smirked at me when she opened the door. She was holding a bag and was pulling out something I could just make out as a staple gun. "Time for you to pay. Hope you got your tetanus shot."

I'm not going to get into a ton of detail of what happened next. I'm just going to say that involved blood, me screaming, Calaysee grinning in her evil way the whole time, staples, stabbing and an electric shock chair. You can fill in the blanks. I was surprised I hadn't died right then and there. It went on for at least an hour. I wished I had died right there. I passed out from blood lost right after Calaysee forced a jug of water and food into me. It was peaceful in my dreams. They were sometimes attacked by flashes of blood and shocks, but otherwise they were beautiful.

Gale's POV

I hit the wall. "Stupid Gale." I mutter under my breath. I should have asked Beetee to come to Katniss's room or have Katniss get permission to come with me. I was supposed to watch her. I was supposed to keep her safe. I kept punching the wall, even when my fist started to bleed. I didn't care. I deserved the pain. Especially since Katniss was probably hurt somewhere out there.

Haymitch says behind me, "What did that wall ever do to you?

I ignore him. I flipped around and ran to Beetee. "Kidnapper must have had a tracker. Think you can find the signal and hack into it to find her?" Beetee thinks it over for a second before nodding. I brighten a little bit. Hang on Katniss. I'll find you soon.

Katniss's POV

When I woke up I started working on my leather bands again. My hands were now covered in blood and Calaysee must have taken out the staples. She didn't wrap up the cuts but it was better than nothing. I almost started crying when the band finally broke. I quickly untied the other band and my legs. I sneaked over to the door and tried the doorknob. Just my luck. It was unlocked. Calaysee obviously didn't think I would be able to get out. I open the door a smudge. No alarm. I open the rest of the way slowly and close it behind me. I freeze when I see the writing on the wall. Liar, "Katniss should have died" and die, were written in a dark red substance I predicted was blood. It continued as I walked further down the hallway, hopefully towards the exit. I press my ear to a door and hear someone snoring softly. Calaysee was asleep. I tip toe the rest of the way and find another door without any noise coming out of it. I open it and creep inside. The room was filled with papers that were hung up covered in the same red substance I guessed was blood. I shudder. Calaysee seriously needed some help. I read one of the writing of a page.

How to Kill the Mockingjay #138

Insert tracker.

Cause distraction: i.e. Bomb or hold hostages

Lock Katniss in room and let Tracker Jackers into room

Watch Katniss suffer from outside

Once she has turned into green glop like Glimmer take a picture and broadcast across Panem

She wanted me to die like Glimmer. I guess that would be me paying for killing Glimmer… if you were crazy and didn't blame it on self-defense or the Hunger Games. I quickly made it across the room and opened another door, which lead to another room filled with the same types of sheets. I felt myself getting more and more traumatized from the inside out with each step. I glanced at one of the numbers. 979. How could someone find 979 ways to kill me? I shudder and push my way through the papers. I didn't dare wonder how Calaysee found all that blood. I reach a wall but there wasn't a door anywhere. I follow it to the corner and all the way back to the door I came in. I bite my lip so I don't make a noise. I take a deep breath and open the door again. It doesn't open. I shake the doorknob. Panic starts seep up into me. "No. No. No!" I whisper. I search the room again for another door but there isn't another except for the one. I was on the verge of breaking down and crying but I swallow down those tears. If I broke down, Calaysee would have won. She was not going to win. Not until I was dead, which I was pretty sure if Calaysee got her way, would be pretty soon. I sit against the wall and try to decide what to do. There wasn't really an option except to sit there and hope that Calaysee doesn't find me. I tried to stay awake but eventually I gave in to sleep. A few hours couldn't hurt, could it?

Gale's POV

"She's in 12." Beetee tells me.

"She's where?" Why would she be in 12? Wouldn't the kidnapper be in the Capitol? Seem a little safer…

"District 12? Where you grew up? Ring a bell?" I roll my eyes.

"I know where. Just didn't expect it to be…" Something Katniss said rings in my head. I swear under my breath then continue. "Peeta… Katniss thought Peeta was the shooter. He might have gotten out of the hospital somehow…" I stop when I see Beetee's expression. "Never mind."

"It was a good idea but he would have killed her on the spot. Her signal is coming out of a building that was bombed a few years ago. You know when. Weird though. There's no actual building there, just rubble." I grit my teeth. I knew what he was saying. She might be dead. I wasn't going to give up till I saw her body though.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's load up a hovercraft and get over there. Now!"

Katniss's POV

"Wake up, sweetheart."  
>I jolt awake to the last voice I wanted to hear, the insane, psychotic, out to kill me, Calaysee. "What?"<p>

"Aww. The Liar doesn't know what to say." Calaysee teases. I didn't know where she was. She wasn't in front of me. I wasn't tied up or anything. I get up slowly and turn around. I blink. There was a little window in the door that I hadn't noticed. She was grinning at me from the other side. "This is your last chance."

"To do what?"

"To die."

"Or else what?"

This stops her. She closes her mouth and her jaw tightens. "Or else you get to pay for lying for the rest of your miserable, puny life." I blink at her response. Death was much more appealing than that. "You have one hour to find the exit or the weapons. Good luck." She steps out of view. I don't waste any time. I start scanning the walls and floor for anything that might be a door or window. A thought occurs to me. I didn't see any windows in the hallway or in the other rooms. What sort of place didn't have windows? Above ground I meant. I smile at what I figured out. We were underground. Then where would the exit be? After what I guessed was 15 minutes and I had scanned every inch of the walls and floor. I sit down and brainstorm. If you were underground and wanted to get out which way would you go? Up. I almost slap myself for not guessing already. I look up at the ceiling and there it was a trap door in the ceiling. I jump up and grab the handle to the door. It comes out easily but a ladder hits my head. I rub it and start climbing up. This was almost too easy. Well, Calaysee was insane so she probably liked playing with me. In games, there is always a way to lose and win. Calaysee put an exit because she thought this whole thing was a _game._ A sick twisted game that reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games. I found my way out to the surface but when I finally saw the sun I had absolutely no idea how to get farther away. I was surrounded by rubble that looked familiar for some reason. I try to distance myself as far away from the trap door. I get dizzy so after a while I finally have to sit down. I cough and curl up. I would need to find some food or water soon or it wouldn't make any difference if I had escaped or not.

Something flashes in front of my eyes. I jump and stifle a scream. I make a squeak instead. I scramble to my feet and start running in the direction I was headed in yesterday. One thought kept racing through my head; _it was Calaysee, coming to finally kill me._ The wind picks up and a loud roar fills my ears. I kept running but with a limp. My leg was still very much useless. I look up for a second and immediately regret it. A blazing light blinds me causing me to trip and fall on my face. I curl up and give up. What was I supposed to do? Calaysee had always been one step before me. I close my eyes and wait. And wait. And wait. I almost fall asleep but someone pulls me into their arms. "Katniss?" He whispers and a faint smile appears on my lips.

"Gale." He grips me tighter and I yelp. "Ow!" I shout. Gale lets go and grabs my face in his hands.

"Who did this to you?" His eyes stare at me full of concern and love.

"Not important. Just get me out of here." I mutter. Dehydration and lack of food was finally catching up to me and I passed out in Gale's arms.

**Ta dah! Hope you liked it! Promise this will not be the end of this fanfic. I'm just getting started. Peeta's going to be in either the next or the one after the next update. I feel like he's been left out. Sorry Peeta. Review! Thanks! BYE!**


	10. True love can only be separated by death

**Hey guys! So everyone seems to want more Peeta (Don't kill me but I don't like Peeta that much) so he's going to show up somewhere in this chapter. Enjoy! THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS I LITEARLLY WANT TO HUG EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS (Not in a creepy way). I love you guys. Oh and there will be a lot of time jumping because I need to make this go a little faster so I can get to a different part that will be a lot less boring. **

Apparently, Calaysee had taken me to a building that had been destroyed during the bombing in District 12, so I ended up in the same hospital as Peeta. He was a lot better. He didn't try to kill me anymore. He sort of just had a terrible distaste of me. Gale had to finish his work here in District 12 but he always came back when he could. The nurses told me that I was lucky not to have lost feeling in my leg completely. One of the stab wounds had hit a main nerve. My shoulder's stitches had ripped causing me to go into emergency surgery. I had at least 200 stitches keeping me together. My day's included people coming in with flowers and cards, staring at the ceiling in boredom and falling into deep sleep because of the painkillers. My feelings of uselessness kept coming back. Once one of nurses gave me a mirror and my jaw dropped. I was expecting bad but what I saw was worse. I didn't know why I cared but I did. I was extremely pale. My brown hair was tangled into a bunch of knots and was sticking up. My nose was red and my lip was swollen. I had a big bruise on my cheek and my usually gray eyes were much more red than gray. Even then though, when Gale had thought I was sleep I heard him whisper "She's so beautiful. Why did I let her get away?"

Once I was finally allowed to leave and go back home, Peeta was almost completely back and Gale had to go back to 2. My life was almost back to normal. I went hunting every day, my shoulder and leg were weak but I managed. It didn't feel right though. I felt like something was… missing. I wasn't as focused and I found myself zoning out in the middle of conversations and I almost _never_ slept. I kept telling myself it would get better when Peeta came back. Then when I looked at the basket for mail I cringe. I hadn't forgotten the letter I found for Peeta. None had arrived yet but Adonis probably knew Peeta was in the hospital. Heck, everyone knew Peeta was in the hospital. The only thing that gave me comfort was the woods and the knowledge of knowing Calaysee is locked up with guards outside her door back in the Capitol.

I dreaded the day that Peeta would come home and I would confront him. It wouldn't be right away but…. Soon after. I didn't want to get into a fight with Peeta right after he came home. That would be a horrible way to greet him. "Hey honey! Missed you. Glad you're better. Now would you like to tell me anything? Anything about someone called Adonis the drug dealer?" I stifle a laugh at the thought. I pluck a blackberry and pop it into my mouth. I was sitting on Gale and I's rock. I didn't usually visit because I didn't see why I had too. Now, I felt like there was an invisible pull, pulling me towards it. A bush rustles behind me and I instinctively grab my bow and arrow and load it. I turn around slowly. I had been extra cautious these days. I _never_ wanted to have to go through the same thing with Calaysee ever again.

"Hey whoa! I just wanted to say hi. I didn't think I would get a bow and arrow in my face." I smile and lower the bow when I hear the voice.

"Sorry! Hey Rory." Rory walks into view and I almost confuse him with the 14 year old boy that I met in these same woods years ago. "Sit down." I pat the spot next to me. He climbs up and sits next to me. I put a hand in his hair and mess it up. "Look who's all grown up. You look a lot like Gale you know."

"Hey! Just because you're older doesn't mean you're allowed to mess up my hair." He swats my hand away. "Oh and should I take that as a compliment?" I blush and he smirks. Then he looks down and plays with the hem of his shirt. "That's not exactly why I came to talk to you though."

"Well you better tell me, then." I reply with a playful tone. I might have lost Prim but Rory, Vick and Posy, even though we aren't related by blood, were still my little brothers and sister.

"I… er…um…uh." He stutters. The next part he says so quietly I can barely hear it. "I loved Prim."

I blink. "You what? Did I hear your right? You loved Prim?"

"Yeah. Guess I wouldn't be the first Hawthorne to fall head over heels with an Everdeen." I blush again and immediately regret it. He looks up straight into my eyes. "You still love Gale don't you? Why'd you marry Peeta then? You're safe from the Capitol now. You can love and marry who you want. You aren't the star crossed lovers of district 12 anymore. I don't think you ever were. Peeta may have loved you but the way you looked at Gale when you came over, that… that was true love. True love can only be separated by death. You two aren't dead. Enjoy it while it lasts. I'll never get my special moment with Prim." He sounded a thousand years older when he said this. My only reply was a blink. "Well, think about it. It isn't too late. I'll tell you if Gale calls. At least one of the Hawthorne boys deserves a happy ending. Poor Vick doesn't even want to try. He says we have bad luck with the girls we really love. " He jumps off the rock and heads back into the forest.

The next day I got a letter. No not from Adonis because it was actually addressed to _me._ And it wasn't from Gale. It was from… _Posy?_ I open it up, confused. Couldn't Posy just walk over to my house when Hazelle went over to clean Haymitch's home?

Deer Katniss,

Can you come over tonight? We miss you! Please?  
>From,<p>

Posy

P.S: From Hazelle. HELP! Vick is actually thinking about not dating anyone (I can't just have all my boys end up alone…) and Rory is love sick. Posy keeps asking why we never talk to you. Please! 

That night, for some reason, I found myself in front of the Hawthorne's new home. I knock on the door and a few seconds later an eight year old Posy opens the door and wraps her little arms around me. "I missed you, Catnip!" She cries into my stomach.

"I missed you too." I reach down and pick her up. I tickle her stomach and she starts a laughing fit. Vick is next person to jump on me. Rory stays over by the kitchen and Hazelle yells a greeting from somewhere inside. Vick lets go and I put Posy down but she immediately grabs my hand pulls me inside. Hazelle runs down the steps and hugs me and ushers the kids into another room.

"Thanks you so much for coming. They look up to you as an older sister. They won't listen to me. Maybe you could help." She smiles at me.

"Thanks for inviting me. I'm not sure I'm the best person to give advice though. Considering my position…"

"Nonsense. You'll be the only one able to get through to them."

Soon enough I'm a table next to Posy who was eating her pasta hungrily. Vick who was telling me about what he was doing in school. Rory was giving me a thoughtful look but he had a vibe that made me think he was grieving. "So, Vick is there a special girl you like at school?" I ask causally. Hazelle flashes me a smile and Rory raises an eyebrow at me.

"Nope! We Hawthorne boys have bad luck. I promised myself I wouldn't ever let myself get heart broken. Best way to avoid that is to never fall in love. Rory can you pass the salad." He grabs the bowl from Rory and fills up his plate again.

"You know, you can't help who you fall in love with." I eat another piece of pasta. "Plus, would you want to live in a big house like this all by yourself. That would be pretty boring."

"And lonely!" Posy pipes in. I almost gave her a high five. I loved her. Her statement makes Vick shut up and think a little.

After dinner, we were all sitting in the living room around the fire. Posy was on my lap. Vick sat next to me. Rory was sitting in a chair that he pulled in from the kitchen. Hazelle was sitting in another chair. Posy was telling me what they've been doing since I hadn't visited, which I regretted, a _lot_.

"Okay, okay. Sweetie, it's time for bed. Vick go on up too." Hazelle takes Posy from my lap and carries her upstairs, Vick wasn't too far behind.

"Rory, if you want to learn how to shoot a bow and arrow or, well I'm not as good as your brother, teach you how to make snares. Tell me. It was one of the only ways I've gotten over it. Prim was the world to me. I volunteered to go to the _Hunger Games_ for her. I still…" Tears form at the edge of my eyes. This was too hard. I blink back the tears. I had to be strong for Rory.

"That would be cool. Can I meet you at that rock after school every other day?"

"Sure!" I beam. I stand up. "I should probably go now." I start towards the door. "Good Night, Hazelle! I have to go home now before it's too late!" I call out.

"Night, Katniss!" She replies.

"Yeah, night Katniss." Rory says and sticks his hands in his pockets. 

Once I was home, I fumble out my keys and open the door. I close the door behind me and head for the kitchen. I blink at the image in front of me.

"Hi honey!" Peeta exclaims.

"Peeta! I thought you didn't get out until next week!"

"I asked the nurses to give you the wrong date so I could surprise you." He smiles at me.

"So you're all better? You won't try to kill me if I kiss you on the cheek?" I ask him.

"Nope." So, I stand up on my tip toes and kiss him. Images of Gale appear and I step back a little overwhelmed. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just surprised." I mumble. In reality, I was _not_ okay. My mind was everywhere. I could barely think straight. "And tired."

"I'll let you go to bed." I nod and start up stairs to bed. As soon as my head hits the pillow I fall asleep.

**I told you guys he would be in it. Anyway, what did you think? Review! Thanks. If you've read the Birthmarked trilogy. Read my friends fanfic, that she asked me to post on my account. She's awesome. Thanks! **


	11. My life is a nightmare

**THANKS EVERYONE FOR REVIEWING! Don't be afraid to R&R. I can't believe its chapter 10 already! I still have so much to write :). Well, I might not write what happens after most of action unless I get enough people saying that they want a sequel or for me to continue. But that's in the future. Enjoy Chapter 10!**

"Liar." Calaysee hisses at me. "You deserve all the pain you get. Why haven't you gone insane yet?"

"And turn like my mother? No way!" I yell back. Well, I try. No sound comes out of my mouth. I try again. This time it comes out so I continue. "Why are you even here? Aren't you supposed to be in the Capitol?" I rush forward and punch her in the nose. "I've had enough of you!" I scream at her. My knees buckle under me and I fall down to the ground. "I've lived through not one but _two_ Hunger Games and they never left me. I've got nightmares…"I stop. That's what this was. A nightmare. My whole life was a _nightmare. _Except this was a real nightmare. I was asleep. "I want to wake up." I pinch myself. "I do not want to stay here. Katniss! Wake up!" I yell. Something invisible shakes me awake.  
>I sit up straight. My heartbeat is racing and I'm breathing hard. Peeta is still asleep. Buttercup is hissing at me. "Thanks, Buttercup." I mumble. I dragged myself out of bed and Buttercup followed me to the window. I opened the curtains slightly and the sun blinds me. I stumble backwards and rub my eyes. I close the curtain to let Peeta sleep. I take a quick shower, get dressed, put my Mockingjay pin on and grab my hunting gear. I needed to get there. To my safe little haven. <p>

Once I was there I headed straight to the lake. I was going to take it easy today, catch some fish and collect berries. I sat down on a rock and pulled out my old fishing rod. I put a tiny piece of meat, from the squirrel I caught on the way, on the hook and dropped it in the water. Then, I leaned back and waited. This was the perfect time to think things over. Calaysee was safely locked up in the Capitol but her torchers filled my nightmares and I still had the scars to show it. I automatically look down at my leg. It was lined with red scars that would never heal, more reminders of my nightmare-ish life. I grit my teeth and think about how to confront Peeta. There is no way that I'm going to let him ruin his life! He was completely out of character! An image of Gale flashes in front of me. Then, there was that. Rory's words ring in my head. "_Peeta may have loved you but the way you looked at Gale when you came over, that… that was true love. True love can only be separated by death. You two aren't dead. Enjoy it while it lasts. I'll never get my special moment with Prim."_ Before the 74th Hunger Games I would have agreed right away. Well, that wasn't true. I didn't know exactly what Gale and I were back then. Now, I was even more confused. There was one thing that I knew. I was safe from the Capitol, from President Snow. I could love anyone I wanted. The thing was… I didn't who I wanted to live the rest of my life with. Peeta loved me. I wasn't sure I loved him back. I wasn't sure about a _lot_ of things. I decided to enjoy the rest of my day by clearing my mind and relaxing.

Peeta's POV

When I woke up Katniss was gone. At first I was worried but when I checked the closet for her hunting gear it was gone. She went hunting…_again_. I was sort of happy this time though. I grabbed my coat and started heading out the door. _It gives me time to talk to Adonis._ I think to myself. I was going to the lowest form of trying to forget but I just… couldn't do it anymore. It was better than taking my own life. That would just be stupid. Plus I had Katniss to live for. Sure, she spent most of her time in the woods but that was her way of forgetting. It would only be when Katniss was gone or out of reach or… if she finally figured out that she didn't truly love me, and then I _might_ take my life. Then there was basically nothing to live for. If Katniss and I were still friends then yes I would stay alive. A fake memory flashes in front of me. I cringe. I fight the urge to go charge into the woods and kill her. Two thoughts kept colliding in my head. _Katniss is a mutt trying to kill you. Katniss is not a mutt and would never kill you on purpose._ Then when I pay closer attention to the memory I realize that it's real. President Snow bombed District 12 and killed my parents because Katniss pulled those berries out. I panic. My body was fighting my brain. It was trying to turn to the fence. _No._ I commanded myself. _She didn't know what the consequences would be._ My body finally responds and I continue my way down to the mines. Adonis's home was right by them. On the way I see a kid give me an evil glare. He was 14 or so and looked like an exact replica of a younger Gale. I decide to ignore him and continue to Adonis's home.

Rory's POV

I see Peeta walking down the road and glare at him. He ruined my brother's life. I never blamed Katniss for not choosing Gale. If Peeta had not manipulated her, then my brother would be happy and not heartbroken like me. They would have gotten married. I probably wouldn't become an uncle until Posy or Vick got married, thinking about Katniss never wanted to have kids. I snap back into reality and decide to follow Peeta. Maybe I could meddle a little with him and Katniss's marriage so Gale would get a chance. After a while I realize where Peeta's headed. He was going towards the mines. _But he doesn't work in the mines._ I thought. Then it hits me and I almost smirk. _He was heading to Adonis's house._ I would tell Katniss tomorrow when we would meet in the woods so she could teach me how to use the bow and arrow. Or maybe not…maybe sooner. I hurry back to school before the teachers notice I was gone longer than usual.

Katniss's POV

When I got home Peeta was gone. I was half relieved, half disappointed. I was going to talk to him about Adonis but I still didn't have a plan. I was just about to turn on the TV to watch the election when the door rings. "Coming!" I yell. I get up and trudge over to the door. Rory waves at me.

"Hey Katniss!" He walks past me before I can respond.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"I need to tell you something." He plops himself down on the couch.

"And that is?" I sit down in a chair nearby. Buttercup jumps up on me and for the first time doesn't hiss. Instead he falls asleep in my lap.

"I saw Peeta going to Adonis's house. You know him right? The… you know…" He trails off.

"Yes I know who he is and I know Peeta has been getting drugs from him… I just don't know how to tell him to stop. He tried to kill me last time before I could even say anything." I respond. "Did Hazelle go home already?" I ask him.

"Yeah. She knows I'm here. Mom says it's good for me to get out of the house." He grabs the TV remote and turns on the TV. "Plus you have a better TV. I think Gale was nominated to run for President."

"Really?" I ask him. I was about to continue but was interrupted by the sound of Panem's national anthem. After the last note the screen changes to a female with red hair that is tied up in a bun and a man with short black hair and a bit of stubble on his face.

"Welcome Panem!" The man says. "I'm your host, Cordo Elphinstone."

"And I'm his co-host, Delphi Perthshire."

"Well, Delphi. This is not one of the brightest times for the new Panem."

"Yes, Cordo. We are all grieving for President Paylor. Let's have a moment in silence for her." After a brief pause they continue.

"There is one good thing about this. The Mockingjay is still alive. If you haven't heard already, Calaysee Coin kidnapped ." I cringe. I did _not_ change my last name. I don't know why I was so touchy but I felt like I needed to keep my real last name, Everdeen.

"Uh, Cordo. I'm pretty sure she did not change her last name. We wouldn't want her to get upset. After all she just recovered." Delphi interrupts him. I resist the urge to high five her.

"Ah, yes. Excuse me. Mrs. Everdeen. Now, since the recent loss of President Paylor. Panem has been without a leader. Many have been nominated but we have reduced the candidates to a mere ten. If you are one but would not like to participate please contact an official here in the Capitol." The screen flashes to an image of a man. His name: Twill Crabbletooth. What an unfortunate name. His district: 1. that makes sense. The rest were just blurs. Then comes up Madge's. I smile. Madge deserved it. She definitely got my vote. The next few were blurs and then the last one… Gale's. I freeze. If Gale became President he would be even busier than now. Rory looks at me. He nods his head towards the phone. I get up and grab it. I quickly ask Rory for his phone number.

"2 467 342" Rory responds. "Put it on speaker!" He says excitedly. I click on the speaker and put it down on the table. It rings once, twice, three times before any one picks up.

"Hello?" Gale asks sleepily.

"Congratulations!" Rory yells into the receiver.  
>"OW!" Gale yells. I stifle a laugh. "What the hell, Rory? Why did you have to yell at me through the phone like that?" Gale says angrily. "Whose phone is this anyway?"<p>

"Mine." I say. "Congratulations, Gale!"

"Oh, hi Katniss! Why is everyone congratulating me?" He asks.

"You were in the top 10 to be nominated for president!" Rory explains. "That would be so cool. Can I be your Vice President? President Hawthorne! I can see it now the President and Vice President Brothers!"

I laugh and Gale does the same. "Sorry to break it to you Rory but you're a little too young. Plus I never wanted to be President. I hardly want the job here in 2 but it's better than risking my life every day in those claustrophobic mines. Plus… the memory of…" He trails off. We know what he was about to say. When I think about it though…. If my dad had never died and I hadn't been forced out into the woods I never would have met Gale. I mean I would have seen him around but never learned his name. Maybe out of chance we would meet in the woods but there was such a low chance of that.

"Aww come on!" Rory complains.

"Madge would be better." Gale says. "I would never be a good Mayor. But look at District 12 now! It's almost completely rebuilt already!"

I nod then remember that he can't see me. "Yeah. I mean both of you would be great President's but Madge has more experience." I hear footsteps, but Rory doesn't seem to notice so I hope it's just my imagination.

"Will you at least try, Gale?" Rory whines.

"Uh… no." Gale says. Then a second later, Peeta walks in, with a box. I could just make out the name on the top.

To: Peeta Mellark

From: Adonis Blindeye

**Ta Dah! R&R! Thanks! Tell me what you thought! This was a long chapter but slow chapter. Sorry. There are certain things that have to happen before it speeds up again. But it should be back to a better speed in the next chapter. I'll update soon. Until next time! SEE YOU! **


	12. Hollow and Lost

**So hi. Yeah… Enjoy! :)**

**EDIT: So I felt like this was too short and rushed so I re wrote it. Well the end not the beginning because I liked that part.**

"Rory, hang up the phone." I say sternly.

"What? Why? What's happening? Catnip? Rory? Are you guys okay?" Gale asks on the phone. Rory senses my nervousness and urgency and quickly hangs up.

"Rory go home." I say with firmness.

"No." He replies stubbornly.

"Out. Now." I say sternly, through gritted teeth. I didn't have time for this. He doesn't budge. I sigh in frustration and pull him into the kitchen then come back and come face to face with Peeta. He was taller and stronger than me. I had a feeling this wasn't going to go well. Not at all. I grab the box from Peeta. It was already open.

"You won't find anything there." Peeta says calmly. His eyes flicker towards the hallway. I open the box, just in case. It was empty. I drop it on the ground and run over to the hallway. I tear open the closet. Nothing was there but the usual stuff. I check inside my game bag just in case. The pockets of the coats. I didn't find anything. Peeta had followed me into the hallway. He was leaning against the wall. He didn't look worried at all.

"Peeta. Tell me where it is. I can help you." I say calmly, trying to keep down my nervousness.

"No. You'll just make it worse."

"How?" He grits his teeth. His jaw clenches and unclenches. He takes a deep breath and looks at me with his sweet blue eyes. I slap myself mentally. I had to stay focused.

"I can't get attached to you, Katniss. What if I lose you too? I've lost everything but, _you_. If I slowly let myself go maybe I can figure this out…but…. It's gotten too hard. I can't do it anymore. I know I shouldn't but I can't live with those… memories, no, those _nightmares_. I can't do it. I can't do it." He says quietly. I'm taken aback. We were married and I didn't know _any _of this. Well, except for the nightmares part. I was living it too. I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. There was a long silence before I say anything.

"Why didn't you tell me? We're married! I could have helped!" I yell at him. I knew I shouldn't be getting so worked up, it wouldn't help anyone, but I was.

"I know we're married and I'm sorry..."He pauses. " But, maybe we shouldn't be married…" He mumbles. This stops me. Then I think about the year that we had spent together. At first it was fine; we were happy, well as happy as someone who was living a constant nightmare could be. Then about two months after, Peeta started pulling away. Then he started going to the bakery for most of the day. We only saw each other in the morning and during dinner. Then Peeta said we should sleep in different rooms because his nightmares were getting worse. Except, he was using that as an excuse, he was pulling away. After the shock has passed, it is replaced by a huge hole. It would never be filled again. I was empty. I couldn't even feel the pain. I blink at Peeta. He nods sadly, agreeing with his words. _No_, I thought, _this wasn't happening._ Peeta slowly walks up the stairs, just before I let out the first tear.  
>Rory walks in a few minutes later. He sees my tears and rushes over. We were now both in the same condition. Peeta may not be dead but he might as well be. "What happened?" He asked. He's never seen me cry. This forces me to be strong and I wipe away my tears.<p>

"Peeta wants a divorce." I whisper quietly, still not believing what just happened. Rory hugs me, in a brotherly way. Peeta comes down after a while with a bag of stuff. I'm not sure where he's going but I know he must have had a plan just in case. I mentally throw dagger in his direction, my depression turning into something more like hatred. Rory gives him a look that must be something like mine, expressing disgust and extreme distaste. Peeta walks out, hooking his pair of keys on the key hook.

Rory leaves shortly after. I wanted to be alone right now. I made myself a hot chocolate and pulled myself into bed. I felt weak and broken. The gaping hole in me was never going to heal. I was betrayed. I finally know how Peeta felt after the 74th Hunger Games, when I came home and said that it was all for the camera, none of it was true. I feel a tear fall down my cheek and land softly on the comforter. I curl up and let all the tears flow out. The ones that I've held back and have created a river of sadness in my blood. I cry for my father, for Prim, for my Mother that couldn't look at me without feeling pain. I cry out every last bit. I fall asleep feeling the burden lift off my shoulders, feeling lighter and emptier than ever.

I stare at the wall. Haymitch had been knocking on my door. I ignored him. Hazelle offered to let stay at her house. I ignored her. Rory just wanted to talk. I ignored him too. I sat and stared at the wall. I didn't feel anything. The betrayel I had felt before had turned into numbness. I didn't feel anything, except myself.

Falling.

Falling.

Deeper into nothingness.

I spent at least two days alone. On the third day, Haymitch hired someone to pick the lock so he could get inside. He found me curled up in the fetal position, staring at the wall in front of me. He helped me up. I didn't resist. I couldn't find the strength to. Haymitch walks me downstairs. Hazelle puts her arms around me. I only know because I could see it. My whole body is numb. She pulls a chair out and gestures me towards it. I blink at it. "Oh man. The one thing that's missing from this picture is a tub of ice cream and the heart broken teenager image is complete." Haymitch teases. This snaps me out of it. I flip my head around and glare at him. He smirks at me. The hem of shirt (That I've been wearing for two days) suddenly got really fascinating and I looked down and played with it.

"It's okay Katniss." Hazelle comforts me. "Let's get some food in you. It's only been two days but you've lost so much weight." I stay quiet. Hazelle pulls out a soup that I could tell was from Grease Sae. She pushes the spoon against my lips. I choke on it before I am forced to eat it. It was tasteless. They leave after Hazelle has helped me finish the rest and forced me to take a shower. Now, I sit on the couch. Being alone didn't help me at all. Madge wanders in. She sits by me and pulls me close. I can't help it. I thought I had cried all my tears away but apparently I hadn't. They flow out in a river that never stopped. Finally, I pull back and mumble an apology. Madge smiles sadly at me.

"You need a vacation." She announces. Madge picks up my Mockingjay pin from the coffee table and secures it on my fresh t-shirt. Then she pulls a ticket out of her pocket. I read it slowly. My eyes were still red and misty from the tears. This is what it said:

Departing From: District 12

Departing At: 1:00 p.m.

Arriving at: District 2

Arrival: 7:00 p.m.

I look up at Madge. The words processing slowly in my head. Then they suddenly fit together, like a jigsaw puzzle. I hug her again. I wouldn't be alone.

**So what do you think? Peeta and Katniss fans. Don't worry! Just bear with me. They aren't done yet. Galeniss fans… here's your moment. People who don't care…. Well I don't know… ENJOY! R&R! See you next time!**


	13. It's okay, Catnip

**So hey guys! I've have had major writers block. Sorry. If any of you read Divergent. INSURGENT CAME OUT OMG! I was so excited that I pre ordered it on my kindle and spent the whole night on April 30****th**** waiting for it to turn midnight so I could get started on Insurgent. I'm weird like that. Anyway I'm not trying to brag or anything but I read 525 pages in 7 hours…. Probably less because I had school and stuff but my friends were all like "OMG HOW DID YOU DO THAT" so my writers block probably came from not sleeping anyway. ENJOY CHAPTER 12! Oh by the way I used a map of Panem to know where the districts are and such but it might not be correct. Please don't kill me if it isn't right.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES! *sniffle goes and cries in corner*THE CHARACTERS AND THE ONE LINE "GALE IS MINE. I AM HIS. ANYTHING ELSE IS UNTHINKABLE. ARE ALL SUZANNE COLLINS. **

I sat on the train staring out the window. I was excited but I still felt like in complete puzzle that someone had abandoned. I watched the rolling hills pass by quickly. It was going to take a while to get to District 2, since it was close to the Capitol. I had been pretty silent since Madge had walked me to the train station. The attendants kept asking me if I wanted anything. I would shake my head each time. I was pretty famous now a day. I didn't like it. Everyone would glance in my direction then start whispering. Probably about me and how destroyed I looked. Thank God **(Did they believe in God? I don't know…) **I didn't have to act strong anymore. I could look like there was one tiny thread keeping me sane. Well, it was probably better if people thought I _was_ insane. I pick up a note pad and a pen that was sitting on the table in front of me. I start writing.

_My name is Katniss Everdeen. I was tortured by Calaysee Coin. I killed her mother. I'm on a train going to District 2. Gale is in District 2. Peeta wants a divorce. I feel empty. There is a big gaping hole in me. I wish Prim was here. I need her more than ever. I'm on the verge of being insane. People think I'm insane. It is probably best that they think I am insane. _

I put the paper down and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. That felt better, but I was still empty and hollow. Out of habit I ask an attendant for lamb stew and a cup of hot chocolate. I hesitate, when they ask if I wanted bread. I take a few deep breaths before replying with a stiff "no". They nod and hurry to get it for me. I tap my fingers on the table. Without meaning to the rhythm from "The Hanging Tree" comes out. I stiffen and curl my fingers up once I notice. The rest of the trip wasn't all that interesting afterwards. I slept and woke up and then we arrived at District 2. I was the second person of the train. I was carrying my hunting bag, out of lack of any other suitable bag and to have something special nearby. I take out the map; Madge had given me and grab a hover taxi. I felt completely out of place in my jeans and black t-shirt. District 2 had suffered from the war as well but they had gotten back up on their feet faster than any other District. It was much more modern and updated than District 12 but not as high tech and advanced as the Capitol. The taxi driver asked me where I was headed… for the second time.

"Oh… uh" I look down at the map. "12 Hunting Rd." The hover taxi starts moving into in coming traffic. I hardly notice though because I'm reading the address over and over in my head. It couldn't be a coincidence right? I mean 12 as in District 12 and Hunting as in Hunting in District 12. I sigh. It was probably a coincidence. I had just noticed because I was being observant. The sky rises started disappearing the farther we went. We entered a suburban area and turned onto a road with a dead end. At the end of the road was a nice small house. It was made of brick like most of the other houses. There were a few flowers in front and it brings tears to my eyes because I know automatically what type of flowers they were. Primroses. I had a bunch around my house that I wasn't sure what to do with. I brought back memories that involved Peeta because he was the one who had planted them. But, I couldn't bring myself to getting rid of them I felt like I would be destroying Prim somehow if I did. The hover taxi stops in front and I hand him some money and get out. A moment later I was standing in front of the house, the hover taxi long gone. I wanted to knock on the door but I couldn't make my legs move. I was frozen. I still couldn't believe I was in District 2. I was actually here. I don't know how long I was standing there frozen but Gale must have noticed because he opened the door took my bag and hugged me. I smile. He pulls away and smiles back.

"Hey Catnip."

"Hey."

"Why are you here? I mean I'm not upset that you came or anything. I was just… wondering…" He trails off when he says the tears I've been holding back for most of this trip appear. I try to wipe one off before he can do anything but I'm not fast enough. He pulls me close and I sob into his chest. I felt so vulnerable but I didn't care. This was Gale. My best friend and hunting partner. We tell each other everything. No secrets between each other. We had survived together, keeping our families alive for two years. The thought I had back when Gale had been whipped creeps back in. _Gale is mine. I am his. Anything else is unthinkable_.I couldn't think of a better time that that thought applied.

After I've finished sobbing I mumble, "I'm sorry." Into his shirt. He takes one of his hands off my back and cups my chin up so I'm looking at him.

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." Gale whispers and I lose myself in his soft gray eyes. He was completely from the seam. There wasn't any other place he could be from. He felt like home. He lets go of me and presses a gentle, reassuring hand on my back. I stumble forward and in a matter of minutes I'm Gale's living room sipping a cup of hot chocolate. Gale walks in and sits down across from me on another couch. He leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees. "So. What happened?" He asks, softly.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mumble. He looks confused at my words.

"You know talking about it can help." He pushes a little further. I nod slightly. I hadn't told anyone yet what had happened but my screams and locking myself up in my house had probably been gossiped about everywhere. I take a deep breath and explain everything. Every little detail I told him. By the end of it I was sobbing words out. Gale had made his way over to me somehow and wrapped his arms around me a protective cocoon. I had never needed to depend on anyone before. It wasn't that bad. Letting someone else do the comforting and hard work was nice and relaxing. It was nice to be selfish once and a while. The whole time Gale whispered, "It's okay Catnip" Over and over. It was hypnotic but helped a lot. I sigh and wipe away the tears. Maybe I could survive without Peeta, without the dandelion of spring. I needed the fierceness and flames of Gale too keep my own flame going.

**So there you have it. It's not that good. As I said before I have had horrible writer's block. Hope yoi guys liked it. Sorry Peeta x Katniss fans. :( **


	14. The Boy with the Snares

**Okay so people. Yes it's more of a Galeniss fanfic so shut up about it. When you search for a specific type of fanfic about THG and see that the two characters listed are Gale H. and Katniss E. you aren't going to get a very Peeta and Katniss fanfic. Sorry, just getting annoyed. I do take suggestions about what should happen but it's highly unlikely I'll use them. I've already taken a few and I'm not planning on changing it anymore. Everyone will get a happy ending though. I can promise you that. Sorry guys. Enjoy chapter 13! **

I'm curled up in a ball. I got out of Gale's guest bedroom and saw the primroses. You can guess what happened next. I can't think straight, except that I can't scream. I want to. The horrors keep flashing in front of my eyes. If I close them they just become more vivid. I can't move. It's hard to breathe. If I scream I'll get Gale and he could help me. Instead, I'm frozen in place. I see and feel the explosion that threw me back but this time I see Prim blowing up as well. I can't do anything. I have to watch her die over and over. I grit my teeth. Part of me keeps saying that Gale did it, but he didn't. He was not the one who ordered the bomb to attack innocent children. That's what those Capitol kids were, innocent. They didn't know that the Hunger Games were cruel. They were _raised_ that way. Snow and Coin were the people who ordered kids to death. If someone was to blame Gale or Beetee it would be like blaming the maker of the gun for a murder. I finally start to come out of my paralysis and start shaking. I grab my hair and pull, trying to get the pain I feel in my soul to go somewhere else. I try to get my voice to work but all I stifle is a soft whimper, so I stick with it. I'm still there pulling my knotted hair, whimpering and staring wide eyed at the image that isn't there, when Gale picks me up and carries me down stairs. He puts me down onto the couch. He takes me hands calmly and places them down by my side. He strokes my head and I think murmurs words of comfort to me. Gale's lips are moving but I'm too lost in my own dark soul to hear him. As another vision comes I grab Gale's hand. I needed a lifeline back to reality. For a second I stop breathing. The visions keep getting worse. This one was the absolute worse.

"You could have saved me!" Prim's ghost screams at me. "I hate you! You could have saved me! You were never my big sister! I thought you would protect me no matter what? What was volunteering at the reaping for then? HUH? Had you planned a whole thing out with bread boy? HUH? ANSWER ME!" Even though I know Prim would never say that. It still makes my heart crack open the rest of the way. I can't breathe. My lungs burn and I keep trying to force air inside of them but no air ever comes. The vision of Prim screaming at me starts getting blotted with black spots. Then I remember my lifeline and squeeze on Gale's hand.

I jump up into a sitting position, breathing hard. For a second, I think I'm dead but the sharp pain in my lungs brings me back to life. I take big gulps of the air. "Gale" I whisper softly.

"Yeah, Catnip?" He asks softly. I turn to look at him and throw my arms around him.

"What you said was true…" I whisper to him between breaths. He pulls back and stares at me. I try to push myself back towards his warmth.  
>"No let me get a good look of you." I burst out laughing at his remark.<p>

"I must look like crap." I mumble. He puts a loose hair between my ears.

"That's not true." I try to smile at him but I'm guessing it comes out more like a grimace. "So what was this about me being right?" He smirks at me and I let out a chuckle **(I've always felt like that was a weird word. Meh)**. Then it hits me. This was reason I had loved him so much. He could always cheer me up in the worst conditions. Sure, he had had a horrible obsession with how unfair the Capitol was, but he had always had the determination in his eyes that helped me keep going.  
>"Well, there's one thing you were right about and one thing you were wrong about." I start.<p>

"Mmhm?" Gale nods, urging me on.

"You were right that I would choose who I could survive with." Gale stares at me after I say this, mouth agape. I smirk at him. "Yup I heard that and…"

He cuts me off, "And you chose Peeta so why am I the one here comforting…"  
>"Make that two things you were wrong about." I interrupt him instead. "I chose wrong, Gale. I need the fire that so many people saw in my eyes a long time ago. The only person I've seen the same fire in is from you. Second, I didn't smile because I was in the woods. It was because I was with you." I push away his now limp arms and press my lips to his. He's still stiff from surprise. I pull away before he can recover and smirk at him. "You know… it's not fair that I'm the only one with a nickname. How about… hmm…" I pretend to put some real thought into it, stroking my chin and looking into some far away dream land. "How about… Stormy or big fat meanie or…" I pause as I actually come up with a good one… but it was too close to the one that I had mentally given to Peeta. The boy with the snares, he has always been the boy with the snares. I could still remember that first day when fate had brought us together.<p>

"_That's dangerous." A voice rang out, that soon I would recognize instantly as Gale's. I jumped back and watched the 14 year old boy come into view. "What's your name?" He walked over to his snare and took the rabbit out. _

"_Katniss," I said very quietly. I was surprised Gale had heard anything at all. _

"_Well, Catnip, stealing's punishable by death, or hadn't you heard?" He said._

"_Katniss," I repeated, louder this time. "And I wasn't stealing it. I just want to look at your snare. Mine never catch anything."_

"_So where'd you get the squirrel?" I could tell he wasn't convinced._

"_I shot it." I replied and took my bow off my shoulder. _

"Or how about… no?" Gale cuts in before I can continue. I laugh and he smiles warmly at me. The rest of the memory comes back with that smile. The first time I had ever seen Gale smile.

_Gale looked at the bow with fascination. "Can I see that?" He asked me. _

_I gave it to him. "Just remember, stealing's punishable by death." He smiled._

I jump up off the couch and head into the kitchen. Gale had given me a tour of the house. It wasn't that big but it was bigger than what Gale needed. I opened his pantry and scouted it for any hot chocolate powder or chocolate. I don't find any. I flip around and glare at Gale who had followed me in. I could swear there was hot chocolate powder there last night. "Where's. The. Hot. Chocolate?" I say firmly. Gale shrugs and turns around, probably so I wouldn't see his smirk. "Gale. Where. Is. It?"

"You drank the last of it." He mutters, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "I'll buy some on the way home from work." He gulps down the coffee as I continue to glare at him. A thought occurs to me. I didn't want to be left alone. Plus, didn't Beetee want me to test out some bows?

"Hey didn't Beetee want me to test out some bows? Can I come with you so I can test them for him?" Gale thinks for a minute then nods. I scream with joy on the inside.

**So I've been writing shorter chapters because I haven't had a lot of time but I've wanted to get stuff out. Hope you liked it. R&R! See you people later!**

**~Ales**


	15. Dixie

"Hey Beetee!" I chirp with fake happiness as I follow Gale into his office. Beetee grunts in acknowledgment but doesn't lift his head. He's leaning over some papers that a bunch of math language has been scribbled on. "Someone's grumpy." I mumble. Gale gives me a look, obviously detecting the fakeness in my voice. I was never a great actress. I shrug. "Beetee!" I say again. He continues to scribble notes and numbers on the page, and then he moans in distress and puts his head on the table.

"What's up?" Gale asks him.

"We're over budget." Beetee moans.

"What?" Gale rushes over and reads the page. "Didn't Dixie crunch the numbers before we started?"

"Apparently our new recruit isn't as good at math as we thought she was." At that moment a red head walks in and stares at them. She was about 22, tall, brown eyes and altogether was beautiful. I can feel awkwardness between the woman and Gale.

"Did I hear my name?" Dixie asks. Beetee and Gale share a look. Beetee rolls his wheelchair over to her.

"We're over budget." He states and glares at her. I start to shrink back towards the door. I felt trapped, bringing back bad memories.

"What? I swear I checked a bunch of times before I sent it in!" Dixie yells in shock.

"We'll I guess not enough." Gale adds in. Dixie twists around a little to face him.

"You stay out of this!" Dixie says, trying to keep her anger in. I take a few cautions steps back towards the door. Dixie turns back to Beetee. "Show me your math. It must be wrong."

"I'm telling you…" Beetee starts.

"Nothing's perfect. Show me the math." Dixie says forcefully, causing me to take more steps back. Gale hands Dixie the sheet. She looks it over then smirks.

"What?" Beetee asks.

"You forgot to carry the one." Dixie says, obviously holding back a fit of giggles. Beetee takes the paper from her.

"Oh wow. Sorry Dixie." Beetee apologizes and rolls his wheelchair back to his workstation. I step back and I put my hand around the doorknob.

"Dixie, this is Katniss. Katniss, Dixie." Gale says. He must have noticed my retreat, with his words I'm forced to walk back to where I was and hold out my hand. Dixie glares at it. When I realize she isn't going to take it I pull it back awkwardly.

"I know who she is, Gale. And it isn't fun that you have to shove her in my face. Don't you think I've hurt enough?" Dixie says icily. I'm confused by her words. Before I can say more she stomps off to her desk and turns on her computer. Gale looks a little hurt at the words but shakes it off.

"Hey Beetee? You just going to sit there or are you going to get excited about finally testing out the bows with an expert." Gale says then adds "apparently 4 years of hunting with bow and arrows doesn't count as being an expert."

Beetee looks up and is surprised to see me. Am I that invisible? "Oh Katniss! You finally came! Thank you!" He wheels his chair out of his desk and rolls his way to a door, making a gesture for me to follow. I wave to Gale and follow Beetee into the joining room. I let out an involuntary gasp when I see all the bows in the room. Three out of four walls were covered in bows, ranging from huge bows to tiny bows meant for children.  
>"It's like heaven." I whisper under my breath. Beetee smiles proudly.<p>

"Unfortunately, as you know, your bow that we had designed specifically for you was destroyed in the rebellion." He states and I nod sadly. He gestures to the section in the wall with bows I was guessing to be my size. "These are the bows I want you to test." I go over and pick two that had caught my eye. I swing them over my shoulder. Beetee rolls his wheelchair over to another door and I follow. The next room is an archery range. The range has been divided up into 5 stations. Each station has three targets in front of it. I walk over to one and pick up the quiver. "The arrows are marked the same was as they were when you were in the rebellion." I nod and take out one of the normal arrows. I settle into position with the first bow. It was heavy and hard to maneuver. I try to pull back the string but it's hard and heavy.

"Uh… no offense but this is a pretty bad bow. It's very stiff and heavy. Not good for hunting or anything really except for display." I don't even try to shoot an arrow. I put down on the ground next to me and set up the next bow. It was much lighter and started humming when I touched the bow to it. I looked through the little eye piece that was placed there. A little red laser shows where the arrow should hit. I move it so it's placed in the middle of the target. I take a few deep breaths, pull back on the inhales and let go on the exhale. It hits right in the middle of the target. "Hey Beetee?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened back there with Dixie and Gale?" I ask him as I move over to aim at the next target.

"Oh…" Beetee pauses. "They dated for about three months, made me feel like the third wheel. Dixie had spent the night at Gale's house." I shiver, and erase the image that had popped into my head. "Gale apparently had muttered your name over and over in his sleep. Dixie accused him of just dating her to try to get over you. Apparently, Gale didn't come up with a good enough response. I sent him to District 12 because it was getting so tense in that room." Beetee says quickly. "I probably shouldn't have said that." He mumbles. I shrug it off and shoot the next two targets right on the bulls' eye. On the inside my mind was racing. "So why are you here, Katniss? I asked for you to come about 6 months ago." I drop the arrows I had just pulled out of the targets. They fall down and I freeze at the sound.

"Uh…" I mutter and lean down to pick up the arrows.

"Maybe…"

"No, it's okay. I walk over to where Beetee has parked his wheelchair. I sit down in the chair next to it. "Well, Peeta and I are going to get a divorce. I've lost most of my sanity and Madge gave me a train ticket to District 2 so I'm here now." I say softly. Tears form at edge of eyes. I wipe them away quickly. I take a big breath.

"I'm sorry." Beetee mutters softly.

"Don't be." I stand up and walk back into the room with the bows. I place the two I took back on the wall and take a couple more.

**Ok. So… I've had a TON of stuff to do so I'm sorry I haven't updated for a week. Chapter 15 should be up this weekend because it's a long weekend (YAY!) Okay. Thanks bye!**


	16. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

**So hey. This chapter won't be very interesting, like in boring parts in books where you just learn boring stuff about characters and stuff. It will pick up soon, promise.**

At lunch, everyone was quiet. I pick up my sandwich Gale had bought for me and take a bite of it. There was a sort of tense atmosphere around us. Dixie kept shooting me dirty looks and Gale was pretty quiet. In the quiet my mind wandered around. Thoughts passing by like clouds. Until one came that I couldn't push away. _What was Peeta doing right now?_ I look up at the ceiling and sigh. It still hurt to even think his name but I really did wonder what he was doing.

Peeta's POV

I sigh and continue mixing the ingredients together. The timer goes off and I rush over to the oven and pull out the cake. I set to the side to cool then continue mixing the bread mix. I pour it into the pan and put it into the oven, set the timer then set to work on the icing. The bell jingles, meaning someone has come in. "Coming!" I yell and walk out to the main part of the store. The girl there had short curly hair, it was almost completely black was still categorized as brown. I had never seen her around before and she didn't fit the Seam look either. She was almost as beautiful as Katniss, almost. "Uh… hi!" I say softly and walk up to the counter.

"Hi!" She says, happily.

"I haven't seen you around before." I say lamely.

"No. I'm from district 4." She states then leans in. "I heard you and Katniss broke up."

I groan. "Please don't remind me." I say but she doesn't hear me.

"People are saying that you both had enough of each other and couldn't stand each other anymore. My name's Sivan by the way."

"Are you here to gossip or to buy something?" I ask her, getting slightly annoyed.

"Both. So can I have some pie?" She asks me.

"Sure! What type?"

"Strawberry Rhubarb." I walk over and open the display, grab a pie and put into a paper pie holder.

"That'll be 5 coins please." I put the pie on the counter and she gives me five coins. She fumbles around with her messenger bag, trying to put her wallet and pie in it but she fails and instead almost falls to the ground. Except I grab her arm before she can. Sivan smiles up at me. Her bag has fallen open and papers have flown out across the ground. I run to the other side and help her clean up. I catch sight of one of an image on one of the papers and I swear I stopped breathing for a second. Time slowed down. It was Mockingjay, it almost felt like it was a photo, but I could tell it was hand drawn. Time speeds up again and Sivan has snatched the picture away. I look at the other papers but they don't have anything on them. I hand them to her and she smiles back. "You're a really good artist." I blurt out.

Sivan blushes and mutters a thank you. "I actually like photography more." She adds. We make small talk for few minutes then she says good bye, leaving me with a warm feeling that I have only felt with Katniss…

Katniss's POV

After Gale's work I was waiting for him to unlock is hovercar, which I never thought he would have. "Come on, Gale!" He waves to one of his co-workers he was talking to and ran down the steps and to his assigned parking spot. He unlocks the hovercar and I jump into the front passenger seat. Gale started the hovercar and pulled out of the parking spot. We are both silent for a while. I only say something once we've pulled onto the road, "So who was that?" The silence had been getting to me. I couldn't let my mind wander too much.

"A friend." Gale says blankly. He was staring at the road in front of him. He seemed distant. He was physically here but mentally he was probably in the woods outside of District 12. I was guessing Gale was in no mood to talk so I stay quiet and force myself to look out the window. I watched the houses and buildings of District 2. I noticed, since I was last here, it had turned it's self into a mini Capitol. People on the street had started going all out, with blue Mohawks and pierced lips. I even saw a baby no older than 5 months old with tattoos all over his arms. I shiver. What happened here? Gale must have finally come back to District 2 and notice my shivering because he asked, "What's wrong?"

I pause, contemplating the pros and cons of telling him what was on my mind. I finally decide that it would be better just to tell him, "How can you stand living here?" I gesture out the window at Capitol clones. "I thought you hated the Capitol! Now you're living _in_ a mini Capitol!" Gale sighs.

"Only job available and I guess I got use to the people. I sort of just imagine them with normal hair and clothes. I still hated what the Capitol did but it's over now. President Snow is dead. There will never be another Hunger Games. All we have left is the horrible memory of the nightmare we use to live."

**So this was a pretty short chapter but I wanted to get it out. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to subscribe/favorite/review! Thanks! **


	17. You don't deserve a second chance

The next week in District 2 went something like this:

Waking up every day screaming my head off

Gale calming down and making me some hot chocolate

Testing out Beetee's bow and arrows

Dixie throwing me looks that said "I will murder you one day."

Looking at all the Capitol looking people

Being bored out of my mind

Overall, it was better than District 12. I made new memories. Yes, there was the memory of being shot and losing my spleen but that was in the back of my mind. For one I became pretty good friends with Beetee. I met another one of Gale's coworkers. Her name was Cecilia. She had short blond hair, and big hazel eyes. She was taller than me, about 6 feet. She had a cat named Rue because she saw me sing to Rue and it touched her so much when she got a cat she named it Rue. I smile but inside my heart was cracking more. Rue, she was my little sister in the Hunger Games. She saved me with those leaves that cure Tracker Jacker stings. Rue also helped me blow up the careers food. An image of Glimmer getting covered in green glop flashes before my eye and I cringe. Cecilia asks me if I'm fine. I say I am. I'm not. I say good bye quickly and rush off to the bathroom. The tears come before I can get anywhere close to it so I run into a supply closet instead. I sit down and hug my knees. I put my head on my knees and sob into them. I hear someone push the door open so I try to stop but I can't. I don't dare look up.

"Hey, Catnip." Gale sits down next to me. I look up slightly. He is forcing a smile on his face but I know that on the inside he is cursing the day President Snow was born. I sniffle a little and wipe away the remainder of the tears that were falling. Gale opens his arms and I crawl over into them. "What happened to you Katniss?" He asks me softly. "You didn't use to be like this. What happened to that 12 year old girl that I met in the woods that one day?"

"President Snow ate her, chewed her up and spat her back out." I mumble into his shirt.

"So do you want to tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Gale laughs softly.

"Then why did I find you in a supply closet crying after you ran away from Cecilia?" I don't reply. Gale must get the hint and he shuts up. I breathe him in. The faint smell of the woods was always on him no matter how much he washed himself. The woods by District 12 were part of him, and me.

The next day, was the day I left. I had packed up my hunting bag and was very anxious. I sit down on the bed and look up at the ceiling. I didn't _want_ to leave. I couldn't stay though. I had to get back to District 12 and hope a week of no meat didn't starve the whole district. Gale had already left for his work. It was the first day I hadn't gone with him. I get up and pace around the room. That made me more nervous so I grabbed the rope Finnick had given a long time ago and start tying knots. It still didn't help. I get up and leave the guest room. I sit down and lean against wall of the hallway. I pull up my knees and stare at the wall across from me. They were white. A painting of a forest hung up. I get up and walk over to it. It was beautiful. There was a big rock and a girl and a boy were sitting on it. The boy was older about 16, the girl about 14. The boy had a rabbit and was holding it up proudly. The girl was laughing, with a big smile on her face. Her dark brown hair fell down her back in a single braid. Her grey eyes were full of warmth. She had a bow slung across here body and a quiver on her back. I pause. Then, I almost slap myself. Why didn't I see it before! The boy was Gale and the girl was me. I look for a signature but don't find one. I walk down the hall and look at the other paintings. There was a field full of roses but at closer look I could tell they were primroses. Another painting was of an ocean, a bright orange haired boy had his arms wrapped around a girl with red hair. Finnick was the boy and Annie was the girl. I continue on down. There was rue covered in flowers. Another pictured a girl shooting an arrow at a force field. I didn't understand why Gale would have all these. Wouldn't they make him feel guilty? I also didn't know why hadn't noticed them before. I mean I had to have walked down this hall a bunch of times. A car honks outside the house so I can't look at the others. I grab my stuff and jump into the hovercar.

When I get to District 12, it was dark but I could see the one face I didn't want to see. I almost scream. I walk right up to him.  
>"Why the hell are you here?" I scream at him. People exchange worried glances and quickly scurry away from the scene.<p>

"I live here, Katniss." He starts, "I need…"

"I don't care a crap about what you need!" I scream at him.

He tries to interrupt, "But we need..."

"No we don't. You're the one who said it was over so now I'm listening to you! I'm being a good little Mockingjay and listening to what you said. But that's as far as I'm going. Don't you think you've hurt me enough?" I start but he grabs me and shakes me.

"Katniss! Calm down! We need to talk! I was stupid."

"So you admit you're stupid. That's a good step, Peeta. Now will you let me go?" I strain under his grasp and just manage to get free before I make a run for it.

"Katniss, stop!" Peeta yells after me. "I didn't mean what I said! Please give me a second chance!"

"Do you even deserve a second chance?" I yell back at him. I continue running.

"Where were you anyway?" Peeta yells at me.

"None of your business." I snarl at him. I see the Victor's Village in the distance. I push my legs harder. I didn't want to talk to Peeta. I wanted to get home, call Madge, go hunting, talk to Buttercup, anything but talk to Peeta. I start to grab my keys from my pocket but I drop them and they go flying to the ground. _Not a good time, keys._ I lean down and pick them up. I feel Peeta's hands gently pull my head up so I have to look at him.

"You can't run away from this one Katniss." Peeta whispers.

"I can do whatever I want." I reply coldly. I try to get away from his touch but he holds me tightly, not so it hurts just so I can't get away.

"That's not what I meant, Katniss."

"Then what _did_ you mean?"

"You know what I meant. Katniss… where do I start?"

"How about where you say you are a giant jerk face and you take back everything you said that night."

"Would that help?"

"…No."

He gets irritated. "Then what will help! I'm trying my best here Katniss."

"You shouldn't have done it in the first place!" I finally get out of his grip and I start on my run again. This time I make it to the house. I look behind me but Peeta isn't there. He must have stopped following me. I quickly run in grab my bow and arrows, lock the back door and check if all the windows are locked. Once I'm done that, I crouch down in my closet. I'm not sure why I'm so freaked out. Maybe it was seeing Peeta but I felt an odd discomfort being here. I felt like someone was watching me. I didn't feel safe. I felt like there was someone here who wasn't supposed to be here. I hear a crash from downstairs and all I can think is, "Oh God. Oh God. Oh GOD!"

**So I know everybody is going to be angry at me for ending on a cliffhanger. Sorry this wasn't as long as usual. Been busy. I also had writer's block and I've been REALLY tired.  
>Sorry,<strong>

**~Wolfpup**


	18. Insanity

**Have any of you read the mortal instruments series? I just started reading it and it's soooooooooooo good. I'm half way done City of Glass. Anyway, here you go! (Oh and the first part might not make sense but it will be explained later in the chapter.)**

Footsteps start to walk up the stairs. I push my back closer to the closet wall. I grab and arrow and aim it at the closet door. The door to my bedroom creaks open. I push the closet door open so I can see the intruder. My breath catches in my throat when I see who it is.

A white figure, with white hair and a white beard, was standing grinning at me evilly. He was wearing a white suit and white dress shoes. His skin was pale. Worst of all, he had a white rose pinned to his breast pocket. I scream his name, in fear and anger. "CORNELIAS SNOW!" I pull back my arrow and shoot but he has moved at lightning speed out of the way. The arrow hits the wall behind him.

"Good evening, Katniss." He says casually. I glare at him.

"I-I thought you were dead." I stutter out

"Oh I am dead." He says matter-of-factly.

"W-what? H-how are you here then?"

He ignores my questions and continues, "Remember how we said we wouldn't lie to each other?" A knife covered in blood appears in thin air. He grabs it and smiles. That was it. I pull back another arrow and let it fly. It missed and he's gone in a second, racing out of the door. I jump out of the closet and pull out another arrow. I start running after him. All I wanted him to be was dead, like he was supposed to be. I see him walking down the stairs at a normal pace, I pull back and shoot but he moves out of the way, as if he had eyes on the back of his head. He disappears around a corner, once he's at the bottom of the stairs, but I've already started racing down the stair, jumping the last three. I see a flash of white and I just register that I have just escaped death from a knife by a hair. The white knife sticks itself deep into the wall behind me. I blink startled then shake it off as another knife barely missed my head. I see Snow at the end of the hallway slowly pulling knifes out of thin air and backing away into the kitchen. I duck the next knife and start walking slowly towards him. My arrow trained on his head, I pull back at the same time he pulls out another knife. I shoot.

The arrow falls to the ground a few feet in front of me. I stare wide eyes at my stomach. Snow had hit me first. I fall to my knees, staring at the knife protruding from my stomach. I pull it out and press my hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. I pull back my hands and they're covered in blood. Now, I know how Rue felt when she had been stabbed with a spear.

I feel a whoosh and I fall the rest of the way to the ground. Snow has disappeared. Haymitch has kicked open the door. He runs over and picks me up. "What the hell have you done? How did this happen?"

"Snow." I say weakly. Haymitch starts running, he smells like liquor and throw up. Haymitch gives me a funny look. I cough and blood splatter onto Haymitch's shirt. I stare wide eyed at it and Haymitch picks up the pace.

"Snow's dead, Katniss."

"He… came… back… from…dead…" I say softly, my eyes were closing and I felt the life dripping out of me. Haymitch shakes me and gives me a look of pity. My eyes finally close all the way and I'm left with darkness.

I hear voices in the darkness, "Oh Gosh! Look at her!" Effie says with her capitol accent. I fall back under the dreams.

"Darn, kid. She shouldn't have been all by herself in the first place!" Haymitch complains.

The next time I come back toward the surface of conciseness, I hear two familiar voices.

"How did that happen?" Peeta asks. I can't register if he said it with concern.

"Shouldn't _you_ know?" Gale asks coldly.

"No. She shut me out of our house." Peeta responds, matter-of-factly.

"No, you shut _yourself_ out of _her _house." Gale corrects him.

"This isn't about that! It was one stupid mistake!" Peeta's voice starts getting louder. I try to tell them to stop.

"A mistake that made Katniss stab herself!" Gale shouts accusingly back.

I try to mumble out the word, "Snow."

"ENOUGH!" Screams a voice that I didn't recognize. "It's not your fault Peeta." She says at a normal level. "She's mentally challenged. It's recorded here that she said the word 'Snow' before she passed out." I blink open my eyes. I moan, nobody notices, because Peeta is too stunned to say anything because he's staring at the nurse in the doorway. She was the same age as Rory , with brown hairs and hazel eyes that were closer on the brown side then the green. She was tall and slender. In District 12 she would be considered the prettiest girl in the district. No not in district 12, anywhere she would considered gorgeous.

"P-Paige?" Peeta asks.

"No, I'm an evil twin of your cousin and my real name is Penelope." Paige says sarcastically. "Yes, I'm your cousin that everybody thought was dead. Of course your immediate family didn't care." She adds in a serious tone. I blink away blurriness. Gale's brows are furrowed, trying to process what was going on in front of him.

"We all thought you were dead! Where were you?"

"The Capitol." She says with a bored tone, and walks over to the machines that were checking my vitals. Gale tenses at her words. My abdominal area was aching in pain and I had at least two IV's sticking nutrients into me. My eyes were just open a slit so I was guessing nobody had noticed that I was semi awake.

"Why were you there?" Peeta pushes harder.

"I was kidnapped and turned into a stupid cook. I had to cook for stupid game makers and I had no way to get back or sending you or my family a letter. I jumped onto a food truck going back to District 11. I walked to District 13, met Primrose. Then, her mother took me to District 8 with her mother. You happy now! I trained to be a nurse back in District 8. I didn't even get to go to my parents or brother's funerals. I was forgotten by everyone. I bet you barely even remember me." She snaps at him. "Now be quiet, Katniss could be listening and you'll just make it harder for her to wake up.

"I remember you." Peeta whispers. Throughout all this, Gale has been exceptionally quiet. He has been staring at the monitors showing me my vitals. His mouth was open in a small "O".

"Oh really? Tell me one memory that you had with me."

"Learning how to make bread. I taught you how to make bread. You made the most amazing cakes. They were decorated beautifully. I'm surprised you're a nurse now."

Paige's expression softens and she smiles a little. "I didn't think you remembered."

"I think about it all the time! I mean… I do own the family bakery now."

Then Gale interrupts, "Uh… Sorry to break up this heartwarming reunion but I think Katniss is awake. The other nurse said that once this little screen," He pointed to one of the monitors. "And that line started going up higher to about here," He pointed to where the line kept going up to. "That Katniss would be awake." I finally push out a soft whimper of pain. "See."

"Oh, sorry Katniss. I got a little distracted." Paige gets to work by unlocking a switch on my bed, then clicking a button and my upper body starts to move up.

"Ow. Ow. OW!" I scream, my stomach felt like there was a knife in it.

"I know, I know it hurts. It's for your own good. You won't get as dizzy this way." _Dizzy? What did she mean dizzy?_ I wonder.

She clicks another button and I feel restraints wrap around my arms, waist and ankles. I open my eyes wide in fear.

"What are you…" Gale and Peeta both say at the same time in a creepy way but are cut off by Paige.

"Shut up! She's mentally unstable! She could hurt herself or someone else. She won't be allowed visitors anymore, unless you want to be able to watch her through a pane of glass." She starts pulls out my IV's and forces down some broth from a cup. When I've drunken the whole cup she starts to pull the bed out into the hallway.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Gale starts walking after her.

"What do you mean 'pane of glass'?" Peeta asks.

"Please do me a favor and let yourselves out. I'm taking her to the mental ward. Peeta it isn't safe there for you."

"We aren't leaving." They say together again. They pause and look at each other with funny looks. That was getting creepy.

I can't stop myself and I start mumbling out nonsense. "Snow is scary. Roses are made of blood. Tick Tock goes the clock. At 12 lightning strikes, at 6 a wave comes. Primroses' are my little sisters. I have a flower as a pet. I have a giant bow as in the hair accessory that I throw at animals to kill them and eat them. Sometimes I give them to a greasy sock." I continue mumbling nonsense. Peeta's eyes widen and Gale shoots him a look full of acid.

"You ruined her sanity!" He hisses. "Look at her. LOOK AT HER!"

"I am! I didn't know she would completely lose her marbles!"

"No? You haven't paid her any attention at all have you? You were in an insane state as well when she got kidnapped and tortured. Being alone must have been the key."

"No…"

"What?"

"I chased after her… when she got back I was there… I chased after her. It is my fault. You're right. I ruined everything." Peeta says solemnly. He stops walking and trudges away from me. I want to call out to him but my mind is too busy confusing everyone, including me.

Peeta's POV

I turn around and continue down the hallway in the opposite direction of Katniss, Gale and Paige. Katniss continued mumbling about raining acidic rain and evil golden coins. Paige had an urgent look on her face. Gale was angry. Then I think about Sivan. I pull out the piece of paper she had slipped me with her phone number on it. It said "Call me" and there was a little heart next to it. I didn't deserve Katniss. I had made her insane. It was _my_ fault. I didn't want to make her any worse. I take a deep breath, round the corner and pick up the phone and reception, punch in the numbers and put the phone to my ear. Sivan answers on the second ring.

"So you ready to take me out our first date?" Is the first thing she asks. I smile trying to hide my depression behind a layer of excitement.

"Yup."

Katniss's POV

Paige continues to push me down the hallway. "Last chance Gale. Leave peacefully or I'll have a security guard escort you out."

"I'm not leaving." He says stubbornly, I smile and stop mumbling stuff. When I move my head back I see Rory instead of Gale.

"Rory! How did you get here?"

"Katniss? I'm Gale."

"Oh, wow! Did we go back in time or something?"

"She's starting to hallucinate again." Paige says with panic. She starts running and pushing me down the hall. Rory doesn't continue walking. Instead, he's staring wide eyed at me. I look down at my hands. They were covered in tracker Jackers.

"TRACKER JACKERS! GET THEM OFF ME!" I scream. I start try to scratch my arms but the restraints hold me down.

"Katniss , calm down. We're almost there." Paige pushes my bed around the corner, quickly swipes her ID card and pushes the bed into a giant blindingly white room. She grabs a needle full of clear liquid. I feel a pinch and then everything goes numb. "I'm so sorry Katniss. But that was for your own good." She leaves me alone and I close my eyes numbly. The bright light was staring at me. The last thought I had was, "Am I dead?"

**So Katniss had finally reached insanity. Will she get over it? Tell me what you think. I'm actually really happy with this chapter. If you still don't understand the whole president snow thing, here's an explanation.**

**Basically, she started hallucinating. She thought President Snow had come back to kill her. She imagined those first few knives being thrown, the crash and President Snow. She had gotten a knife and stuck into her stomach but she thought President Snow did. It's very complicated and I barely understand but this sort of hallucinations **_**have**_** happened. It's kind of scary if you think about it.**

**Thanks!**


	19. A Million Ways

**So if you want to know the four songs I've had on loop while I've been writing this and the chapter before, here you go:**

**Bring me to Life By: Evanescene**

**Time of Dying By: Three Days Grace**

**Hurricane By: 30 Seconds to Mars**

**Louder Than Thunder (Quiet Like the Snow) By: The Devils Warda Prada**

**They're actually pretty sad songs but they've been great motivation. I really like the tunes mainly but I pay attention to the lyrics too. Most people don't like my type of music but I guess if you have depression these songs really represent you. Oh and I might start revising all the chapters and editing my grammar/writing mistakes. So anyway, here's the chapter. **

I blink open my eyes. I was lying down on a hospital bed in the middle of a patted white room. A giant blinding light shocks me. I shut my eyes close. I moan in pain. The numbness had finally disappeared and the pain in my stomach was back. When I open my eyes again, Paige is sitting at the edge of my bed smiling. I cringe. She looked like a mix of Prim and Rue. **(If you didn't read the updated version of Chapter 17 I made Paige 14 instead of 28.) **

"How you doing there, Katniss?" She asks me softly.

"My stomach and eyes hurt." I say back with difficulty. She pulls something out of her pocket. It's a pill bottle with some pain killers in it.

"Here," She sticks her hands out and to my surprise I'm not longer restrained by metal restraints. I put my hand out and she drops them into it. "I'll get you a glass of water." She gets up and walks away to a square on the wall that I hadn't noticed before. She nods to the wall and a door flips open and Paige walks out quickly. The door slams behind her. I jump and regret it. My stomach starts to cramp and I feel like throwing up.

"Uhhh…" I moan. A few seconds, later the door re opens and Paige comes back with a glass of water. This time she closes the door more carefully.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was going to slam like that." She apologizes as she comes back and sits on the edge of my bed again. I swallow the pain killers and take the glass from her. I drink from it quickly. My lips were chapped and I had a throbbing migraine that was probably from not drinking. "So Katniss, we're going to be spending a lot of quality time together." She says.

"What? Why?" I ask her.

"Well…"

"If it's about the hallucinations, I was just paranoid! I'm not insane! Just let me go do my own therapy. In the woods, with my bow and arrows, where I'm happiest. Please?"

Paige contemplates this for a moment then gives me a look full of pity. "I'm sorry Katniss but… you aren't safe to be out of the hospital on your own. The hallucinations you had were ones from either drugs," I open my mouth to tell her that I didn't even think about taking drugs, but she holds up her hand to tell me to let her continue. "We know you didn't or won't take drugs unless prescribed Katniss, that's why we know that your hallucinations were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. You _need _therapy from a professional doctor. Your mother trained me well and I've been assigned as your therapist. Once you get a little better I _promise _that we will go out into the woods." I don't reply. Just look down at the sheets and start playing with them. Paige starts blabbing about the news and gossip. I catch something that surprises me even though I have tuned out most of her small talk, "There are a lot of fan girls here for Peeta. I know someone who knows someone who knows someone who is related to someone who saw Peeta talking with a girl named, Stephanie, Savannah? I'm not sure but anyway," She continues to blab about gossip that I don't care about. I hear a buzzer ring and Paige pulls out a small square. She moves her lips as she read something off of it. Then she looks up and smiles sadly at me. "Sorry, Katniss. Time's up. See you tomorrow! Get someone rest, okay?" She jumps up cheerfully and waves good bye. I lift my hand and wave back at her, weakly. As soon as she leaves and my head touches my pillow, I'm drifting back into a deep slumber.

After a few more sessions with Paige I get bored and start saying, "Really?" or "Wow, never saw that coming!" Well, only if I hear something semi interesting. I never liked gossip. I wasn't that type of girl. Whenever Madge started to go on about it I would zone out, and continue to work my way through my meager piece of cheese. I'm rewarded with a smile and eventually Paige starts asking more personal questions.

"So, Katniss, what did you do before you volunteered for your sister?" Paige asks casually. I pause, not expecting the question. Then I smile as I remember _exactly_ what I did.

"I went out hunting with Gale."

"Really? Even though it was illegal?"

"Where do you think District12 got all their meat?"

"Wait…. Gale and you went hunting so… You're those two?"

"Those two what?"

"The older boy and younger girl. They said you two were always together and caught the best game. Oh what did people call you…"

"We had a nickname?"

"Yeah… what was it? Uh… Oh yeah!" Paige exclaims and then continues, "Apollo and Artemis!"

"What? Who are they?"

"Apollo was the male god of archery **(Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't know a lot about Greek Mythology. Oh and I know that he was also the God of Sun but he needed to be his other part for one second.)**and Artemis was the female goddess of the hunt. They were from a very old civilization from way before Panem. I think it was called Geek or Greok Ancient Civilization."

"How do you know that?" I ask, perplexed. "We never learned that in school."

"I didn't expect you would. When I was a cook we had access to a big library so we could deliver food there, there was a nice boy, my age, who would let me read any of them. He said it wasn't healthy for someone not to read. He taught about ancient history. He said there was a time when Panem _didn't_ exist. Wow, that must have been a long time ago." She sighs. My lips twitch into a wide grin. Paige looks down before she can see and when she notices that I'm quiet she looks back up. "Katniss…" She warns, "What are you…"

"Ah… Isn't there always a boy. What was his name? What did he look like? What was he like? Why did I even ask that! He must have been nice! Have you seen him since you escaped?" I bomb Paige with a million questions and when I finally stopped asking she looks up at me with a sad smile.

"His name was Septimius. He died because his mother killed him. He was Snow's grandson." I nod in sympathy. Most of Snow's immediate family killed themselves because they didn't want to show their face to the rest of Panem. _Cowards_, I think_. _We sit in quiet for a few seconds. The buzzer goes off, Paige waves good bye.

The next week goes by fast. Paige asks one more personal question each session. Nothing that isn't hard for me to answer. Then she asks if I've been having any weird dreams or seeing things. I shake my head. Paige smiles widens when I do.

The next time I see Paige she hands me a fur coat. "We're going outside." She says happily.

"Really?" I was growing to like Paige. I even let her touch me once and a while. It was hard for me to ever trust someone, but she knew Prim. We had spent hours talking about Prim. Her laugh, her cute little blue eyes and how thoughtful she was. Apparently, Paige and Prim had been best friends when they met at the hospital in District 13. When Prim was killed Paige had also been very devastated.

"Yep. It snowed the other day so you need to put on this coat." I take the coat from her and put it on. Paige opens the door for me. I walk out cheerfully, through the medical room full of morphine, syringes and pain killers. Then I walk into the hallway that smells a lot like blood and sickness. I cough and Paige gives me a funny.

"Why are there so many people in Mental Ward?"

"Oh, many people went a little crazy because of the bombing. They were already suffering and they lost many of their family members. They didn't get treated in District 13 so when this hospital opened up they were already pretty bad."

I nod, letting the words process in my mind. We continue to walk down the hall until we reach the receptionist area. She signs a piece of paper on a clipboard and smiles at the lady at the desk. She doesn't notice. Paige shrugs and heads to the main doors, I was not far behind. I freeze a couple feet away from it. There was familiar blond head sitting at the bench outside. Paige turns around and gives me a puzzled look. I don't do anything just stare at the man sitting on the bench. He was young, 18, my age. "Katniss?" Paige asks me, with a perplexed expression. I shake it off. I was going to have to face him eventually, right?

"I'm fine." I make the rest of the trip outside and automatically, Peeta jumps up from the bench.

"Katniss!" He exclaims. "I'm really sorry! I'm so sorry! I was stupid and I love you and God… I can never say these things…"

"Well, you were always the better one with words, and just about everything."  
>"What, that's not…"<p>

"When it's about daily life things, yes. When it's about survival, no. That's why I was angry at you, because you tend to be pretty perfect. I was more angry at myself for not realizing that it wasn't working. That I was making things worse for you."

"Katniss." He tries to cut me off, but I continue.

"I've been stuck in this hell hole of a place in a big white room with just a bed and I only get to see Paige for a few hours every day. Yeah, I get to go out to take showers, eat and go to the bathroom but otherwise, I do nothing. You know what I do when I do nothing? I think! I've had…" I pause and look at Paige.

"You've been in the mental ward for 3 weeks."

"Whoa? That long. Anyway, I've had about 3 weeks to think about my life. I actually realized that you're the most perfect person in Panem and I'm the most insane person in Panem. That's why I can't have you." Peeta takes a step closer to me. I notice but don't really care. "You always make the right decisions and it was my fault that I made it harder on everyone." Peeta takes another step so were about a few centimeters away from each. "You can't tell me otherwise. You will never convince me otherwise."

"Oh really?" His lips twitch up into a smirk. He places his lips on mine very lightly. I stiffen because I was surprised but quickly loosen up. He wrapped his arms around my waist and my hands go to the back of his head, pushing him down towards me. It was a soft sweet kiss. He smelled like spring. His lips tasted like sugar. I go up onto the tips of my toes and try to deepen the kiss but Peeta holds back. He pulls back just a bit so I can still feel the tingle of his lips just a millimeter away from mine. "I can think of a million ways to convince you." He whispers onto my lips. I close my eyes.  
>When I open them again, Peeta's gone. I look to Paige who's grinning. "I'm guessing from your face that I didn't just hallucinate that."<p>

"Oh you definitely didn't hallucinate that. Let's just say that I will never get the image of you making out with my cousin out of my head. We really should go now." I touch my lips that a few minutes ago were kissing Peeta's. I could still taste the sugar on my lips. I shake my head and start down the familiar road.

"Is today Sunday?" I ask Paige who has caught up to me, matching my speed.

"Yep." She replies, "Why?"

I pause, then I remember a promise I hadn't fulfilled yet because my life had turned into a hurricane. "Is it okay if we bring someone along?"

"Depends on who."

"Rory Hawthorne."

**Sooooo yup. That's that chapter. *Looks at word count* Whoa! I've been writing long chapters. Anyway, review! Subscribe! Favorite! Tell people! I don't know! Anyway, will update probably on the weekend. Thanks! **


	20. You have to choose one

**Okay hi… There's nothing new except like a ton of summative projects and exams. But yeah… I'll try to update. Thanks! :D**

I walk down the path to the Hawthorne's home, Paige cautiously walking behind me. I knock on the door and step back. I can just hear a conversation going more than likely from a TV because it mysteriously disappears when someone grunts in annoyance. I hear the floor boards creak as someone makes their way from the living room to the front hallway that led to the front door. I could picture that person walking down the hallway. It was more than likely Rory who was coming to open the door so I filled in the blank space of the person with Rory. I hear the click of the lock opening and the door creaked open. I almost jump back in surprise when I see Gale instead of Rory.

"G-gale?" I stutter, in surprise. He throws me a lazy smirk.

"Hey Catnip." He says. Any person who hadn't spent hours with Gale in the woods wouldn't have noticed but fortunately I _had_ spent hours with Gale. I noticed how his eyes were less bright and his hair was slightly messy. He had either just woken up or was extremely tired from not sleeping. I was guessing it was the latter of the two since the sun was almost directly in the middle of the sky. "Glad to see that you're better."

"What are you doing here?" I blurt out but quickly collect myself, "I mean shouldn't you be in District 2 with your job and everything."

His eyes darken and he lowers his gaze, "Oh that…"

"Gale…" I warn him. If he was going to lie I was going to step on his toe. He glances up and I shoot him a message with my eyes, _Don't you dare lie, Gale. Or you'll regret it immediately. _Gale's eyes widen as he understands.

"I'm not there because Posy got sick and Mom wanted me to…"I cut him off by stomping my boot on his toe. "OW!" He shouts, Paige grabs me and pulls me back.

"Katniss!" Paige yells in disapproval. "What was that for?"

"He was lying and I warned him."

"But maybe Posy really is…"

"There isn't any smell of medicine or herbs or sickness. Hazelle would be here at the house if Posy was sick. Hazelle isn't the same kind of mom I have. She doesn't abandon her children when times get tough. Especially, when her children need her more than ever." I know I'm talking about my mother but I can't help it. I was little hurt by it. Just when I thought things were getting better she ups and leaves me to crumble under my own feet. Paige has shut up and Gale has sucked in his breath several times now.

"Katniss, I don't remember you being so violent." Gale mocks me.

"Oh shut up. I was never a people person. Now do you want to tell me why you're _really_ here?"

"Hmm… no." I lift my foot up ready to bring it down on the toe that I had stomped on before. "Oh wait, I change my mind." Gale says quickly noticing my movement. I put my foot back down but tense just in case he does lie. "Uh… Well, I sort got fired…." He looks down. I'm too speechless to say anything.

"Katniss?" Paige asks. She puts her hand on my back for reassurance.

"It was my fault wasn't it?" I start quietly. "You took too much time off because of me and now you got fired because you care about me." I start to back off. Paige stumbles and almost falls but collects herself before she can. Gale looks up and grabs my wrist.

"Don't leave. It wasn't your fault. I could have stayed at work but it was my choice to stay. You didn't make that choice for me." I take a step forward and he drops my wrist. "Anyway, how you feeling?"

"Better, have you seen Rory?" He gives me a weird look but answers anyway.

"Uh, yeah he's upstairs. Do…" He pauses and thinks for a second. "Do you want me to get him for you?" I nod and he turns around and heads to the stairs. I take a couple of steps in just so Paige and I can stand in front of door. "RORY!"

"WHAT!" Rory yells back down. "I'M BUSY!"

"KATNISS IS HERE!" Seconds later I here Rory's elephant feet stomping down the stairs. "So much for being busy…" I hear Gale mumble. I stifle a laugh. Gale must have noticed because he smiles in my direction. Rory appears at the bottom of the stairs and launches himself into my arms.

"Whoa… I didn't know anyone could be so excited to see me."

"I missed you." Rory mumbles into my shirt. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Missed you too." I smile and almost think that I might be able to live without Prim if I had love like this from the Hawthorne's. I almost immediately tense up, my mind gets scrambled but I'm fully conscience of what's happening around me. Rory pulls back and looks at me with those big grey eyes that his brother has.

"Katniss?" He says softly in concern. Suddenly, an image of Prim flashes next to Rory.

"Prim?" I ask in confusion, my eyes widen and Prim is fully visible next to Rory. She smiles and takes Rory's hand. Then she looks up at me and her big blue eyes that I had longed to see for so long were full of hate and disapproval.

"You can be better than this Katniss. Don't keep leading on both boys. No more kissing both of them. You have to choose one." She spits at me. I stumble backwards right into Paige who tries to hold me up but fails. Gale grabs my wrist and Rory grabs Paige. Prim's eyes soften, "I forgive you Katniss. I still love you but, I know you can do better. Like I knew you would make it back. Like I knew about all those lies that you tried to hide from everyone. Good Bye Katniss." Prim closes her eyes and disappears. I start panting and rub my eyes.

"DON'T GO PRIM!" I scream. I reach out and grab the fading image of Prim but I grab air instead. "Prim…" I can't hold back the tears any longer. I let out a whimper as I feel the first tear fall down my face. Rory starts to say something but Paige shushes him. Gale bends down next to me.

"Hey Catnip," He whispers softly. I look at him. His warm grey eyes weren't of pity but of love and concern. I look back down at the ground. I watch the tears fall down like a waterfall. I don't make a sound except for a small whimper every other minute.

"Tick tock." I say quietly. I look up at Gale his eyes have widened. "Tick tock." I look behind me at Rory whose mouth is open. Paige's expression is unchanging. I start to get up. Gale grabs my wrist to help me. "Tick tock." I whisper again. Then something in my mind changes and I smirk. "I have to go now. Sorry, to disturb you." I say quickly then make a dash for it. In a matter of seconds I'm out the door and weaving through the snow covered streets. I check behind me but don't see anyone behind me. I start heading towards the fence, to the woods.

Gale's POV

Katniss makes a run for it, but I don't try to stop her. She knows what she's doing. She isn't that stupid. Instead, I hold back Paige and Rory.

"What are you doing? She can't be out there by herself!" Paige yells at me but I hold her back.

"She doesn't want to talk to anyone. Trust me. Katniss can only be found when she wants to be found." I think about where she could be going for a second before the only two obvious locations pop into my head. She either went to the woods or the remains of her old house in the Seam. She loved that old house. I let a small smile flicker onto my face.

"You know where she is, don't you?" Paige accuses me.

"No, I don't and if I did I wouldn't tell you. You don't understand Katniss. She needs some time to think." I start to head to the open door. Surprisingly, both Rory and Paige have stayed where they are. I reach for the door and grab the family keys. Rory doesn't notice thankfully. I take another step back and another until I slam the door and lock it from the outside in. I hear Paige scream and Rory yell a round of swear words at me. I ignore them, stuff the keys in my pocket and make run for the fence.

**So… what do you think Gale is going to do? Chapter 20 will be up soon. I've gotten into this writing mood… Yeah.. Anyway R&R! See you next time I update!**


	21. Run Away With Me

**CAN YOU GUYS BELIEVE IT'S CHAPTER 20 ALREADY? I CAN'T! It felt like yesterday when I was writing chapter 1. I've gotten so many reviews (OVER 60!). I'm going to take this chance again to say, I LOVE YOU! I LOVE EVERYONE WHO READS THIS STORY EVEN IF THEY HATE IT! At least you take your time to pay attention to my story. Also, the story will be starting to pick up again like how it was in chapters 5/6/7/8/9. Oh and I'm definitely going to write a sequel to this story. (Unless you want me to continue from this story) Okay thanks! I'm going to shut up now.**

Katniss's POV

I climb over the fence and into the woods, thankfully I had left a spare bow and quiver in the old hiding spot so I brush of the snow and put on my shoulder along with my quiver. I run to nowhere in general just away. Out of habit my feet carry me over the old snare line. I had taken them done because I wasn't that great at snares and I didn't need to catch a lot anymore. Of course, after wards I make my way to the rock Gale and I had spent so much time on. I brush of some of the snow, just enough so I can sit down without getting completely soaked. I sit down and pull my knees up towards me. I wrap my arms around them and stare out at the snow covered valley. A thought flickers into my mind; _I've never been down there._ I continue to look out at the valley. The wind blows and my loose hair flies into my face. I take it and quickly tie it into a single braid. I take a rubber band from my wrist and slowly tie the end to finish the braid. I start to hum a tune that my father had taught me when I was little.

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Where the wind whispers songs into my ears_

_Where I can always be myself_

_And listen to the birds sing melodies_

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Where I can sing this song_

_All day long_

I smile and start singing the rest of the song out loud. It was a harder song to sing than, _The Hanging Tree_, and my dad had taught to me, thinking that I would forget all about _The Hanging Tree_ song.

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Where we can be with each other_

_Where we can pretend nothing bad has happened_

_And be oblivious of pain_

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Where we can hope for the best_

_All day long_

I hear a few mockingjays stop singing their tunes and listen. I was just about to start the third verse when I hear rustling and snow falling. I twist my head around and see a lynx poke his head out in curiosity. I put my hand on my bow but let the lynx have his look. He yawns and heads back into the trees. I take a deep breath and continue the song for them.

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Where I can sing this song_

_For you my darling_

_Where we can escape this cruel world_

_At least for a little while_

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Run away with me_

_Away to the willow tree_

_Run away with me_

The mockingjays stay quiet for a few minutes then start whistling the tune. I let my legs stretch out and put my arms behind me and lean back. I close my eyes and take a few breaths. I listen to the sweet melody the mockingjays sing and am almost completely unconscious of the cold temperature. I am so far away in my own little world with willow trees and songs that the wind taught me that when I hear Gale whisper, "Finally found you Catnip." I don't even register it's from him. Instead, I keep my eyes closed. I feel something soft wrap around my neck. That's when I jerk my eyes open. Gale jumps back. "Whoa! I just thought you were cold!"

"Gale, all I did was open my eyes."

"Well, I wasn't expecting it…" He mumbles. I look down at my neck and notice an old scarf around my neck. I look back behind me at Gale. He's holding some gloves and a hat as well.  
>"What's this?" I ask lifting up the scarf.<p>

"A scarf."

"No really?" I say sarcastically, "I mean why did you bring it?"

"It's freezing out here!" Gale exclaims. He rubs his hands together that were covered with his own gloves.

"Oh, I didn't notice." I say. Gale gives me a funny look but doesn't push on it. Instead, he brushes off the rest of the snow from the rock and sits down next to me. We stay quiet for a few minutes before Gale speaks up.

"You can't run off like that Katniss." He starts.

"Have you come here to lecture me too? I've had enough of those!" I interrupt him, my voice rising a little.

"No, I'm just saying because I actually care okay, Catnip?" He responds with a surprisingly calm voice. I guess he got used to me not being exactly very happy anymore. "Anyway, what was that song you were singing?"

"Oh you heard me?"

"It would be hard not too."

I look up at the sky, then back down to the valley. "My dad taught it to me."

"Oh," Gale doesn't ask more. I was guessing he was thinking about his own father. I regret that I ever sang the song now. "Never heard you sing it before."  
>"Well, I've never heard <em>you<em> sing before." Gale lets out a lark and I smile.

"I'm a horrible singer, Catnip. Trust me; your ears would be bleeding by the end of one song."

"Well, I've never heard you sing so how am I supposed to know?"

"I'm not going to sing." Gale glares at me and I hold back a laugh.

"Fine, have it your way." I pretend to pout.

"I saw you took down the snares." Gale observes.

"Oh yeah, I kind of didn't think I needed extra rabbits or anything anymore."

"It's fine, Catnip. I just noticed."

"You're the best friend anyone could have you know that right?" I look over at Gale; he's looking out at the valley. He doesn't respond, instead he hands me the gloves and hat. I put them on then notice that they're my mother's old gloves and hat set. I grit my teeth. Gale looks at me and I put my hands into fists.

"Katniss?"

"She abandoned me…" I whisper. "And now, when I need her the most she can't even look at me. I-I" I trail off. Gale takes my gloved hand in his and squeezes in reassurance.

"Katniss, when you were 12 you were able to take care of yourself and Prim. Katniss, you're independent. You may have gone through hell and I still can't stand to see you hurt like this but I know that you're strong enough to make it through this. You're the strongest person I know."

"But I can't lift bags of flour or anything…"

"That's not what I meant. You have strongest soul out of anyone. If it was anyone else going through this then they would have given up ages ago. But look at you!" He gestures to me with his free hand. "You've made it farther than anyone else."  
>"But it hurts…" I whine.<p>

"I know it does. You don't think I feel bad too? The only thing keeping me going is that you're alive and that no more people can suffer the way hundreds of people have. I keep thinking that it should have been me instead of Finnick stuck down there. Or that it should have been me instead of Prim or-or…" He trails off.

"Don't let that stop you. And I promise that I don't blame you anymore. I'm pretty sure Annie never blamed you. You did what you had to do." We fall silent.

"We should probably head back. I locked Paige and Rory into my house. They're going to be pissed when we get back."

"Meh, I don't want to go back to that hospital. Let's leave them there for a bit. I mean they have food and Hazelle, Vick and Posy will probably be home soon. They'll be fine. I need get something from my house, in the Victor's Village." I get up and brush off the snow from my coat. Gale gets up and we head back to District 12.

**So there you go. I thought it was a cute Galeniss moment. I don't know. Anyway, I'll try to update soon. Did you like the song I made up? It made it up really quickly so it's not that long or good but oh well. R&R! Thanks! Oh and this is Chapter 20. Well for me it is. The snipe POV one was just Chapter 5.5. It was half a chapter. Just need to clear that up. Okay see you later!**


	22. The Way It Used To Be

**Chapter 21! WOO! I'M HYPER FOR SOME REASON! BUT OKAY ANYWAY… here you go. Do you guys even read this? I don't know.**

As I crawl under the fence after Gale. My coat gets covered in the snow, again. I don't care this time though. We pass what used to be my house. I stop and stare at it sadly. The Hunger Games may be over but the damage the Capitol has caused everyone will still be there. It will take a while for District 12 to be completely re built. District 2 had re built quickly, only because they needed to start hold refuge for the Capitol's residents whose homes were destroyed. Gale walks back and takes my arm and leads me away from the rubble. I would have thanked him but I was still lost in thoughts about how people kept saying that they wanted to make everything equal. I guess to them District 12 was just an afterthought. That's why Madge would be good president. Oh no! Maybe they had already elected a president while I was in a stupid claustrophobic room. "Gale!"  
>"What? Are you okay?" Gale flips around to face me.<p>

"I'm fine! Did they elect a president yet?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Some guy named Thistle Crane." The name seems familiar somehow to me.

"What District is he from?"

"They didn't say." This just makes more nervous. I was sure that I had heard him somewhere before. Maybe I'd ask Haymitch about it. We continue our walk in silence. Not an awkward one though. It was a nice one. Peaceful even. Once we reach the square people wave at me.

"Katniss! You feeling better?"

"Much! Thank you!"

"Hey! Good to see you out and about again.

"Good to see you!"

I feel a warm feeling in my stomach form. If I had known people had cared so much about what happened to me maybe I wouldn't have suffered from all these hallucinations. It felt good to get waves and smiles from everyone. I see Posy and a little girl standing in front of the candy shop. They both had sad expressions on their faces. "Hey Gale?"

"Yeah?"

"What's up with Posy?" I point at Posy.

"I don't know. Let's go find out." We make a detour and head towards Posy and her friend.

"Hi Posy!" I say cheerfully. She turns around and her frown turns into a big grin.

"Catnip!" She runs over and hugs me.

"Hey? Don't I get a hug too?" Gale complains. Posy looks surprised and runs over to him and hugs him too. "So why were you too frowning at the store." That's when I see the sign on the store. It said "Going out of business."

"Oh no! They wouldn't!" I exclaim. I push past the kids and Gale and open the door. They couldn't go out of business. I had too many memories here. The store is completely bare and empty. "Well, shouldn't that sign say 'For Sale' or 'Out of Business'. I'm pretty sure this isn't going out of business." Gale has walked in beside me and nods. "It's just so sad. I remember buying peppermints for Prim here for her birthday." I whisper. When I turn back Gale's lips have twitched up into a grin. "What the hell Gale? Why are you smiling like that?"

"I think I might have just found my job." He says flatly.

"O-kay?" I head back out of the store and give Posy and her friend a hug.

"I'll buy you two some cupcakes. How does that sound?" They smile eagerly at me and we walk next door to the bakery. I pause. "Gale!" He comes running up.

"What?" He huffs out.

"I need you here when I buy cupcakes for Posy and her friend."

"Why…"He stops talking for a second when he makes the connection. "Oh okay. Sure."

We walk up the steps together. Peeta's sitting there, with his elbows on the counter. When the bell from the door jingles he sits up straight. When he sees my face he lights up. When he sees Gale it falls right back down. Gale must notice because his face contorts into a scowl. Oh why couldn't they just be friends already? "So Posy and friend…"

"My name is Moss." She cuts in.

"So Posy and _Moss_ what cupcake would you like?" I ask them sweetly. Moss was different than most of the girls here in District 12. She had dirty blonde hair that some people might call light brown and hazel eyes that had flecks of green and black in them. Plus she gave off this vibe of happiness. She and Posy seemed like good friends.

"I want the one with the butterfly!" Posy chirps and points at a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and a butterfly frosted on top of the pink frosting.

"I want the green one!" Moss says happily. She point to a vanilla cupcake that was had a picture of a forest frosted onto it. I smile because I would have picked that one too.

"Alright." I walk over to the counter.

"You do know Paige is furious at you and _him_, right?" Peeta starts. "We've all been worried sick. There's a snowstorm on the way."

"Really? Maybe I can get snowed in so I don't have to go back to the completely white room that I stayed in for almost three weeks straight!" I say irritated. "Plus he has a name, Peeta."

"Oh really? Is it Scowl face?" I burst out laughing.

"That." I point at him. "No offence. Was the worst insult _ever_!" Peeta smiles.

"That was the point." Peeta states matter-of-factly.

Gale's POV **(Just for one short second)**

I watch Moss and Posy as they drool over the cupcakes in the display case. How this guy made little 8 year olds drool over cupcakes I have no idea. Suddenly, Katniss's warm laugh that I loved so much breaks the silence. I swing my head over and hair flies into my face. Man, I needed a haircut. But here I was getting sidetracked when Peeta has just made Katniss laugh. Jealous and anger floods me. _I_ was the one that was supposed to make her laugh. _I_ was the one who was supposed made her eyes light up with happiness. Not some merchant boy. Well not some merchant boy. Peeta Mellark. The one that Katniss had risked her life for hundreds of times. Also the boy that made Katniss cry hundreds of times. There used to be a time that only Prim or I would make Katniss laugh. How I yearned for those times to come back. I missed the lazy days of fishing in the summer. The days where would sit on our rock and eat blackberries. Of course I was happy the Hunger Games was gone but… sometimes I wish Prim had never been reaped into those games. I wish everything was still normal, like it used to be.

**Well, I updated fast! Wow, it's only been a few hours. Anyway, thanks to thegoofybookworm for reviewing so fast. READ HER STORIES! THEY'RE AMAZING! Yeah felt like saying that. Anyway, see you soon. (Chapter 22 is almost done! Wow I'm on a roll…Did I just say that… O.o never mind.. I'm going to shut up now.) Do you guys read these Author's Notes/my random things that I write at the beginning and end of a chapter?**


	23. Can't Wait To See You, Liar

**Here's Chapter 22! Wow, I've been updating a lot but anyway, again. Here's Chapter 22!**

I hand Peeta the coins but he just shakes his head again and pushed them back. "It's the least I can do." He says. "I've made your life hell. I don't know how to fix it."

"It's fine Peeta. Really, take them" I push them back, grab the box with the cupcakes and quickly turn around before he can refuse the coins. He had his own share of Victor money but it didn't feel right to be more in debt with him. "Hey Posy! Moss!" I call the two eight year olds over. They come running over with bright faces. I hand Posy the pink one and Moss the green one. "Now don't eat the…" I trail off when I see Posy and Moss stuff their faces with the cupcakes. "I'm sort of regretting buying them the cupcakes now." Gale smiles brightly.

"But look at them!" Gale exclaims, "They're so happy! Isn't this what we wanted? For our siblings to be happy and alive?"

I nod in agreement. "Yeah, but they're going to be all hyper by the end of eating one cupcake."

"Then let's get out of here before they go all hyper on us."

"That sounds selfish, Gale."

"Well, now that we can afford to selfish why not?" I feel that our conversation some sort of deeper meaning more but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Still, they're only eight we can't just leave them here!"

"They were out here on their own in the first place."

"Gale… We can't just…

"Yes we can, plus Posy is my sister. Mom probably let her and Moss walk around the square today."

"You sure…"

"Yes I'm sure." Gale turns back to Posy and Moss, hands them napkins. Then he bends down so he's roughly the same height as Posy and Moss. "Posy. Moss. Go home soon okay? Katniss and I have some stuff to do. Okay?" Posy and Moss nod. I take a napkin and bend down next Gale.

"You guys are covered in frosting!" I wipe their cheeks and lips that were covered in frosting. "There all better." I stand back up. "See you later you two! Don't cause any trouble." I take Posy and Moss's hands and lead them out the store.

"Bye Catnip!"

"Bye Posy's brother's friend!"

I wave good bye to them and smile. Gale waves to them too and we continue to make our way back to my house in the Victor's Village. We're quiet for a few seconds. "I still can't believe how good you are with kids!" Gale finally says.

"I told you already. I never wanted kids because I didn't want to have to watch them die in the Hunger Games!" I sigh.

"I know I know." Gale laughs. "It's just so hard to believe! Remember that conversation we had a while back?" He asks me.

"Which one? We had a lot." I laugh a little, Gale smiles.

"The one we had a while back. The one when you said you would never marry. The one when we were fishing."

"_I never want to get married. I never want to fall in love." A 14 year old girl says. The older boy next to her by the water was peeling an orange. He handed the girl next to her a slice. _

"_Why not?" The boy asks. His face had become more guarded. His hair fell into his eyes and he needed a haircut. _

"_Have you _seen_ my mom?" The girl exclaims. She pops the slice of orange into her mouth. "Love ruined her. She barely eats anymore. I promised myself I would never let my heart be broken. Plus if I got married I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want kids. Also, how could anyone ever love me? I'm not even pretty. I don't even like talking to people." The boy's face has completely fallen now. The girl doesn't notice though. She continues to talk about how she isn't pretty and how she swore she would never fall in love. _

"_That's not true." The boy whispers. Of course the girl continues and doesn't notice. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen…" The boy trails off. His fishing line starts to pull and that's the end of that conversation._

"Oh that one." I whisper. Then I laugh at my position now. I had never predicted that two guys would fall madly in love with me. "Now look at me! I've done exactly what I said I wouldn't do!"

"Well, you aren't pregnant." I blush fiercely. "Or at least I hope you aren't. I'm still guessing that the whole thing Peeta said was a lie to protect you right?"

"Yeah… it didn't help that much. I think it made it more complicated for me."

"Well it made more Capitol residents realize the horror they were letting happen." I nod.

"I guess, yeah." We reach the Victor's Village but I don't go to my house.

"Hey where you going?" Gale calls out to me.

"I need to talk to Haymitch!" I call back. "Come on!" I charge off towards Haymitch's house. Gale quickly catches up to me since he had much longer legs than me.

"Why exactly do you have to talk to Haymitch?"

"I need to ask him something." I knock on Haymitch's door. "HAYMITCH! OPEN THE DOOR UP NOW!"I scream at him. That would wake him up if he was asleep. The wind was picking up and I felt a snowflake land on my nose.  
>"WHAT DO YOU WANT?"<p>

"OPEN THE STUPID DOOR OR I'LL KICK IT DOWN!"

"Oh that sounds like something Katniss would say." I hear Haymitch say grumpily.

"NO REALLY?" I say sarcastically. Haymitch opens the door and pulls me and Gale inside then slams the door behind us.

"Wow. Didn't think you would be allowed out so early."

"Oh yeah. If you get a call from the hospital. Paige and I decided to spend the night out in the woods."

Haymitch looks at me disapprovingly. Then he turns to Gale. "You had something to do with it didn't you?" He points accusingly at him.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." Gale says flatly. Haymitch squints at him.

"You sure you two never were together? It was obvious you too loved each other. Still don't see how that horrible actress there didn't accidently let anything slip. How she convinced all of Panem that she loved Peeta, I have no idea." I blush, for the second time today.

"Okay Haymitch please shut up now before you make me turn into a tomato. I've actually got something serious to ask you. Now anything about a last name called 'Crane'?"

"Uh yeah! Seneca Crane. He was the head gamemaker for your first Hunger Games. He was executed." My eyes open wide.

"HAYMITCH!" I scream and run into the living room.

"What?" Haymitch asks perplexed. "What did I do?"

"Seriously! I'm gone for 3 weeks and look at what happens to Panem. They elect someone related to the head gamemaker for my first Hunger Games. No doubt they blame me for Seneca Crane's execution." I grab the TV remote and almost drop it again. It was wet and sticky and smelled horrible. "What the hell? Why is this sticky?"

"Must have dropped some liquor on it…" Haymitch mumbles. I turn on the TV and immediately I see Delphi and Thistle Crane on the screen. He smiles and turns to look straight in the camera.

"You thought you could win this could you ? Well, look here!" He motions behind him where an army of Peacekeepers stand. Delphi is grinning widely. Then someone comes on screen and I almost faint.

"Looking forward to see you in the arena, Liar."

**Ta dah! Katniss has to go back into the arena. And there might be another war on the way. Of course who's going to argue with a mad man an insane woman and an army of Peacekeepers. Of course I can name a few people right off the top of my head. Welcome to the 76****th**** Hunger Games people! Oh I also don't know if you know but I'm trying to write the longest galeniss fanfic. So tell me if you've read a galeniss fanfic longer than 40 chapters because that's how long I'm planning to make mine. Or maybe more. Probably more. Anyway, REVIEW! Thanks!**


	24. A Luxury I Couldn't Afford Anymore

**Ok so a lot of you said that you read this stuff so I guess it's nice to know that I'm embarrassing myself every time I write a chapter but anyway…. CHAPTER 23! Oh and if you didn't know already Katniss is going back into the arena. (Or is she? Hehe)**

I scream in annoyance. "REALLY?" I scream at no one in general. "I LEAVE FOR 3 STUPID WEEKS AND PANEM MAKES AN EVIL PERSON THE PRESIDENT? PANEM CAN'T JUST HANDLE THEMSELVES WITHOUT ME CAN THEY?" My knees buckle and I fall to the ground. "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God. What did I ever do to go into the Hunger Games a third time?" I turn my attention back to the TV and of course Calaysee has sat down next to Delphi and Thistle.

"So Thistle, what else have you decided to change about the Hunger Games?" She asks.

"Other than the fact that from any age, even baby children, elderly and sickly will be eligible for the Hunger Games?" Delphi nods eagerly. "There won't be any mentors." I look to the side at Haymitch who has grabbed the bottle of liquor off the table and was drinking eagerly. Gale just stands there, mouth open. Then I turn back to the TV. "There will be 6 tributes from each District including 13 and rebels from the Capitol and the victor of each new Hunger Games will go back until they are defeated. The force field will also be undefeatable. It will not be able to be destroyed in any way."  
>Delphi claps. "Wow, you seemed to have everything planned out already!" She exclaims.<p>

"Oh I do! I even have the list of tributes for the 76th Hunger Games." He hands Delphi a piece of paper.

"I'll give these to the tech producers be right back." She chirps and runs off the screen. A second later the screen changes to a bunch of names.

District 1: Girls: Calaysee Coin, Sparkles Under, Snowy Birds

District 1: Boys: Yellow Thorn, Pumpkin Yarrow, Moth Exchange

District 2: Girls: Lemongrass Rabbledeen, Dabble Ragbone, Dixie Brambleton

I look over at Gale but his expression is hard and protected. I didn't like Dixie but I didn't want Gale to be hurt.

District 2: Boys: Ragtag Aberknuckle, Seemohn Copperdeen, Donkey Labradoodle

District 3: Girls: Sage Hugglewood, Huggle Frankledeen, Juniper Mask,

District 3: Boys: Beetee Dobbs **(I made up a last name for him because I couldn't find it)**, Tonee Crumpletoot, Geranium Crabapple

My mouth drops as I see Beetee's name. Of course it isn't much of a surprise but he was in a _wheelchair._

District 4: Girls: Starfish Thunderpickle, Seaweed Portmanteau, Thyme Fenugreek

I'm relieved not to see Annie's name there but it all comes crashing down when I see one name in for the District 4.

District 4: Boys: Boggs Odair, Dabble Hedgecutter, Comfrey Hogsbriar

"NO!" I scream! Little Boggs had no chance. I run over to the phone to call Annie and tell her not to do anything rash but of course the snowstorm had come and the phone lines were down. "Shit, shit SHIT!" I scream. "Annie don't you dare go insane!" I don't know why I say that. "I'll keep him alive…" I trail off. The victor had to go back the next Hunger Games as well. "No… They can't do that!"

"Yes they can. Panem was stupid enough to vote for that guy!" Gale yells at me. "They can kill whoever they want now!"

"SHUT UP!" I scream at him again. "Shut up! Shut up!"

"Catnip…"

"SHUT UP! I said shut up!" I look back at the screen.

District 5: Girls: Hephaestia Rabblewood, Colbee Crabbletooth, Nibble Littleton

District 5: Boys: Marcon Overdeen, Scooby Hawksmoor, Grackle Hawksmoor

They were related, I notice sadly. The rest skip by until District 7 when I see…

District 7: Girls: Johanna Mason, Teena Bucketwood, Cecelia Hugglewood

District 7: Boys: Choux Mason, Anise Hodgepodge, Steve Mason

God, Thistle had no mercy did he? Putting Johanna back into the games with her brothers or whatever they were. Again they wiz by until the dreaded District 12 comes.

District 12: Girls: Paige Mellark, Tansy Everdeen, Katniss Everdeen

District 12: Boys: Gale Hawthorne, Peeta Mellark, Rory Hawthorne

I run over to Gale and hug him tightly. He wraps his arms around my waist and I do the same but around his neck. I don't dare look up at him. They were trying to make us hurt as much as they could. The only problem with that was that they had put too many rebels into that arena. I smirk as I press my face against Gale's chest. Something he said a while back comes into mind, _"They can't have a Hunger Games if people refuse to kill each other…"_ With enough of luck only the truly loyal careers will die. Maybe we could just refuse stand up against the new version of the old Capitol. Then I look behind me at the TV. A name sticks out under District 12. _Tansy Everdeen…My mother._ Oh she was not going to be handling this very well. District 13 pops up next. No names stick out. Then comes the Capitol rebels

Capitol Rebels: Girls: Effie Trinket, Portia River, Tigris Cats

Capitol Rebels: Boys: Plutrach Heavensbee, Haymitch Abernathy, Flavius Hornets

What? Haymitch wasn't from the Capitol! I look at Haymitch. He throws the empty liquor bottle at the TV. Sparks fly before the screen goes black and it crashes to the ground. "THE HELL!" He slurs and shouts. "I'M NOT FROM THE CAPITOL!" He stumbles his way over to me and Gale and vomits on us. I open my eyes wide.

"Well, this has been a great day hasn't it?" I say sarcastically. Nobody laughs. It wasn't meant to be funny. Nobody smiles. We just stand there. I don't even care that I'm covered in warm wet sloppy vomit. **(sorry for that description)** "You know what?" I step back. "I don't even care anymore." I stomp to the door.

"Catnip!" Gale yells. I walk outside in the middle of a snowstorm.

"Who cares about life anyway?" I shrug. The wind was blowing wildly and there was snow everywhere. I could only see a few feet ahead of me. It was more like a blizzard than a snowstorm. I stand there in the freezing snow for several minutes. Finally, Gale grabs my shoulders and pulls me back inside.

"What was that?" He screams into my face. "We can do this Catnip! You must have noticed his flaw in the choice for tributes didn't you?" I nod.

"So? They're sending a little boy who's only one year old."

"So! We can keep him alive!" He yells at me. "What happened? What happened to that strong girl I saw only a few hours ago? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO HER?"

"Thistle Crane stomped on her fed her to Calaysee who spat her out and sent her to her death cage otherwise known as The Hunger Games." I mumble.

He pulls me close. "I'm sorry. I just… I just thought…"

"That this was all over?" I finish for him. A flash back with Calaysee comes back _"Don't think your safe, Katniss. You never will be."_ That was my weakness. I thought everything horrible had ended but Calaysee had proved me wrong. Safety was now a luxury I could no longer afford.

**Ta dah! I present to you the tributes of the 76****th**** Hunger Games! I have no idea why I'm so cheerful to send a bunch of people (including the adorable Boggs) to their deaths (or not…). Meh, I'm weird. R&R! Who should win? Should Katniss survive? (Well that's a duh answer!) Should Gale survive (another duh answer)? Should **_**Peeta**_** survive now that's a question! To bad I don't need your help on that one. I already got the answer. So in a few chapter will be the Reaping and heads up. SOMEONE YOU SAID YOU HATED WILL BE AN AMAZING HERO! Or close to one. It depends on how you look at it. So yeah… SEE YOU SOON! I HAVE TO STUDY FOR A SCIENCE EXAM BUT ANYWAY! Chapter 24 might be up this week. (I've been nice this weekend and updating like everyday! :D)**


	25. Heartbeat

**Ta dah! It's me! Some random weird person who I think is scaring everyone right now! I feel evil for saying this(and feeling it) but… I enjoyed writing the part where Katniss wanted to kill herself and making Boggs go into the HG. I mean now I'm even more excited for my story. If this was a book I think I wouldn't be able to stop reading at this point. It's just gotten too interesting! I think that's why I've been updating so often. I still feel evil though. **

I lean up and kiss Gale. Unlike Peeta he tasted like ashes, sadness and the woods. It was weird for such a light kiss. Of course the sadness was probably from the current state we were all in. I lean back and place my hand over Gale's heart. I felt it _thump, thump._ In a rhythmic pattern. I removed my hand and places my ear to where his heart should be. I needed to hear it, because I wasn't sure by the end of this that both of our hearts would be beating.

Sivan's POV**(where have I been this whole time?)**

I stared wide eyed at the TV. They couldn't… could they? My love for Peeta was still big and bright. Of course I had loved him since he walked up onto that stage. He was handsome and had a heart of pure gold. Katniss was lucky to have even kissed him. But I also knew I couldn't pressure him into love. It was too soon. That's why I had ended it. I could see the depression in his eyes.

"_Peeta," I say softly. "I know you still love Katniss." He jumps up and meets my eyes for the first time since we have met today.  
>"Wha-…"<br>"Don't play dumb! I'm not stupid!" I force my voice to stay steady. "I'll give you some time. Isn't there an old saying 'If you love something let it go. If it comes back it's yours. If it doesn't than it never was.'. If you come back than I know things with you and Katniss didn't work out. Peeta don't try to argue with me on this one. I love you and I'm doing this so you'll be happy. I'll be happy as long as you're happy." I smile sadly at him, get up and leave him on the bench._

Now that he was going back into those games I needed to go in with him. I needed to be with him when it was both of our last moments.

Annie's POV

"NO!" I scream. "YOU CAN'T TAKE MY BABY!" I hug Boggs even more tightly. A single tear falls down and lands on Boggs's cheek. He starts crying. Instinctively I start rocking him and whispering words of reassurance to him. "You're all I have left you know that right, Boggs? I so wish you could meet your father. He was the bravest man in history. He saved Katniss's life." I look up at the TV again. They had moved onto District 12. At first I felt relief when I saw Katniss's name then guilt for feeling relief than horror. She would have gone to the Hunger Games three times now. For her to stay sane would be a miracle. I look back down at Boggs and his little tuff of orange hair. "Katniss will look out for you." I whisper to him. "I won't let them take you away from me too."

Johanna's POV

I shrug when I see my name. Then when I see my brother's names I get a little more alarmed. They were so young. When I had told Katniss that there was no one left that I loved, that wasn't true. I had my two twin younger brothers. I had faked their deaths for them and sent them to live in the woods just outside District 7. When the war ended I brought them back in. I couldn't let them get hurt again but here they were going to arena with me. "Shit." I whisper.

Peeta's POV

My TV suddenly turns on, on its own. "Well that can't be good." I mumble. I walk over to my couch and sit down. I open my eyes wide as I see a list of Tributes for the 76th Hunger Games. "What the hell…" I look more closely and see Paige and Katniss's names. "THAT SON OF A BAKER!" **(HAHAHA! I laugh at my jokes sometimes. I'm weird like that.)**

Katniss's Mother's POV

I start to fold my laundry while I listen to the news. The TV flashes and the president and Delphi are having a conversation. "Well that's weird." I mumble.

"I'm happy to say that Panem will be continuing the Hunger Games." Thistle smiles brightly. I open my eyes wide. The girl who had kidnapped my daughter shows up and smiles insanely at the camera.

Delphi and Thistle have some more small talk before Thistle hands Delphi a list and the screen flashes and changes to list of names of the tributes. I scan them before dropping my iron on my foot. I scream. Both in horror and pain. _I was going into the arena… with Katniss._

Hazelle's POV

I was still furious at Gale for locking up Paige and Rory in our home but when I saw the names of the tributes on the TV I suddenly feared greatly for him. I grabbed Paige and Rory and hugged them tightly. I didn't even know Paige that well but I felt a great deal of pain for them both. I started sobbing. "MY two oldest boys. Going into that stupid, stupid arena." I whisper. _How could anyone stand for this?_

Katniss's POV

I continue to listen to Gale's heartbeat. It was a lifeline to my sanity. "Uh, Catnip. Not that I don't mind you leaning against me but I'm tired and I need to close the door before we both freeze to death." I step back slowly and let Gale push past me to close the door. He takes my hand and kisses it once. "Now come." He leads me back into the living room. Haymitch is gone. Probably in the bathroom throwing up. Gale sits down on the couch and taps his lap. I run over to him with tears in my eyes. I press my ear back to where his heart was.

"I love your heartbeat…" I whisper. "It's beautiful. It's a miracle."

"The miracle of life."

"The life of hell." And with that I start sobbing. "GALE!" I choke out. "I can't go back to that stupid arena! I've had enough!"

"It's okay." He whispers and kisses my forehead. It doesn't ease the pain in my heart much.

"I have to see my mother too!" I continue sobbing. I think I've cried more than anyone at my age. "I don't want to see her. She abandoned me _twice._ I can't do this."

"Well, if you say you can't then of course you can't."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we have a plan Catnip. Which means we _will _make it out alive."

"I love you."

"I know." I punch him.

"Don't say that."

"That's what you told me."

"I wasn't being very smart…" I mumble. He kisses my forehead as exhaustion takes over. I fall asleep listening to Gale's heart.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Oh God. I loved that heartbeat. I needed that heart to keep beating. _No matter what._

**Wow. Three chapter in one day! I'm awesome! Or well it's late right now because I can't sleep. Computer just told me it's going to die soon. So… R&R! Tell me what you thought! Thanks! I love you guys! I want to send you all virtual hugs! *gives virtual hug***


	26. Standing Proudly in Defiance

**SOOOO! Hi… I feel bad when I make you guys wait so I've been updating a lot more. So…. What's up? Summer's in 2 weeks! WOOOOO! I'm SOO HAPPY! My b-days in summer so that's one reason. PLUS I get to go to my summer vacation house so I'm all happy. (Don't worry I have Wi-Fi there) Also, I love all your reviews! I actually can't delete the emails saying that someones reviewed. They make me so happy. ANYWAY, enjoy! **

Sivan's POV

I jump onto the train because there had been an order for all District transfers to return to their original districts. Of course the capitol would not pay for my ticket and they had raised the prices by about 25%. I was almost broke now. It didn't matter anyway. If I went through with what I was planning I wouldn't need money anymore anyway. I sit down in a booth by the window and smile sadly at the sun. The train car would be getting full now. Many people had come to visit District 12 because of Katniss and Peeta. They didn't exactly get what they wanted though. Instead they saw ruins and seam people walking around begging for money. It wasn't the greatest district to visit but it was something. Soon the train starts to pull out of the station and I picks up quickly. The snow covered trees wiz by quickly and soon it starts to snow fiercely again. My stomach suddenly starts to twist and turn and I get increasingly nervous every minute we continue to travel towards District 4. Why? Because that was where my older sister was. The one that I haven't seen for 5 years. I unclench and clench my fists over and over. Someone comes over and asks my name, probably to make sure I was allowed to be on the train.

"Sivan Cresta." I say.

Katniss's POV

It's been three days since the 76th Hunger Games were announced. It's been 72 days since I saw Calaysee Coin on TV. It's been 4320 minutes since I got reaped into my third Hunger Games. It's been 259,200 seconds since my life completely fell apart.

I sit on the couch, not wanting to get up and "wear something pretty". I could barely wake up this morning. Of course I knew that I have to eventually, either with my cooperation or against my will. I walk up the steps and into my room and open the door to my closet. I take out a random dress. I don't even register what dress I'm wearing until I'm about to pin on my mockingjay pin over my heart. I smirk. _Perfect._ I quickly put my hair into a French braid then rush out of the house.

Once I reach the square I was not prepared for what I found. All the cameras were already turned on, I could tell because the red lights were no longer blinking, and not a single person spoke. The peacekeepers whispered a single word to each other once and awhile. I walk up to where the sign in usually is but the table isn't there. I look around and realize that this reaping very badly organized. I slip my way to the center back. Nobody notices me, other than Peeta of course. He appears a second later by my side. He raises an eyebrow at my dress. I shrug and hope he understands the deeper meaning, _Trust me._

Everyone has a curtain of grimness enveloping them. I look around for my mother or Gale but instead I find Rory standing alone. Everyone has taken two steps away from him, as if getting reaped was an illness that could spread. I watch him sadly. This must be hard for him. Paige appears by his side a few seconds later. I smile and turn back to look at Peeta. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie. I recognized it from somewhere but wasn't sure from where. I look down at his hand and take it. Peeta looks surprised and when I look to meet his eyes I smile sadly. _We were still married after all._

A peacekeeper walks up onto the stage and starts reciting the new rules for the Hunger Games. I zone out. I would spend enough sleepless nights reading the book anyway. Finally, the peacekeeper stiffly says, "Happy Hunger Games!" and takes out a sheet of paper. "Paige Mellark." Paige leaves Rory's side and walks slowly up the steps and stands to the left of the peacekeeper. "Tansy Everdeen." I look around longingly; I haven't seen my mom since the train ride to the Capitol. I spot her because people make a path for her to get to the stage. Her hair was up in a bun and she was wearing a soft blue dress. I take a deep breath and hold it, waiting for the peacekeeper to say my name. I pay close attention to my mother. She is being extremely strong, much more than I thought she would be. I was betting that she would go insane as soon as the Peacekeeper called her name. "Katniss Everdeen." I let go off Peeta's hand and push my way to the stage. People gasp when they see the dress I'm wearing. I let my lips twitch up into a grin. When the Peacekeeper notices my dress he signals to the other Peacekeepers to escort me to the stage. Four quickly make a cage around me, one in front, one behind and two on either side of me. They keep a slight distance though. _Of course they would. I'm wearing my mockingjay dress._ I don't make any move to hurt anybody or go crazy so they let me go when we reach the steps. I take my place next to my mother and before I can register what I'm doing, I'm pressing three fingers to my lips then raising the up above my head. _Good bye,_ I am saying to them, _I love you all. Don't give up._ I whistle the first note of Rue's four note song but a gun barrel to my head stops me. Anyone else in my position would have continued. A bullet to the head is a much better way to die then in the Arena but I don't. I know better. As long as there's a small flicker of hope in this world of darkness I will be standing up proudly in defiance.

**So I'm not sure if that counts as a cliffhanger but I wasn't trying to end with a cliffhanger. Yes this a fairly short chapter but I mean… I updated 3 times in one day okay? I'm being nice. Plus it felt right to end there. Anyway, I made homemade cookies! They're really good (yum). Sorry, if I'm making you hungry. I MAKE THE MOST EPIC AND DELICIOUS COOKIES EVER! Woo… See you soon!**


	27. Sacrifice

**Told you I would update soon! June 8****th**** is my last day of classes. Then I have an exam day on the 11****th**** so it's almost summer! I will be updating even more during the summer. Yay! :D I'm so weird… Anyway… yeah… maybe I should start writing… okay I have no idea how to end this so I'm going to just end with a …**

Gale's POV

Katniss in her mockingjay dress places three fingers to her lips and raises them high above her head; she whistles a single note before a gun barrel from a Peacekeeper is sticking itself into her head. At first I panic but then I'm proud. I'm proud of my little Catnip, standing up against this cruelty. I press three fingers to my lips and raise them above my head; slowly and steadily everyone does the same. As if on cue everyone sings Rue's four note melody. I smile proudly at Katniss. She isn't looking at me though. She's looking at the trees. I turn to look at what she's looking at but in a few seconds I don't have too. The square is suddenly filled with mockingjays whistling the easy tune over and over, some creating a harmony. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Suddenly, a gunshot rings out and panic seeps over me all over again.

Katniss's POV

I know have tears in my eyes as I listen to the mockingjays sing. I didn't even notice that the gun barrel to my head has disappeared. A gun shot rings out in the square and someone screams, nobody moves. I'm jerked backwards by my hair and a knife is pressed against my neck. "Let. Go." I croak out. The Peacekeeper doesn't budge. "All I did was say good bye." I lie. I hear the Head Peacekeeper who had been announcing the tributes call out an order and I'm released. I only have a second of freedom before the Peacekeeper grabs my wrists and ties them behind me. I let him. I hope District 12 doesn't take my cooperation the wrong way. I hope they don't think I'm giving up because I was far from it. I look out at the crowd with a face that is unreadable to hopefully everyone.  
>The rest of the reaping continues on normally. Peeta, Gale and Rory don't risk any rebellious acts. I'm hauled away, straight to the train, probably my punishment for giving hope to District 12. Gale, Rory, Peeta, Paige and my mother instead head inside the Justice Building to say good bye. I'm not sure who will come since they have more than likely already spent days saying good bye. The peacekeeper jerks me into the last train car that on the door says "Female Tributes". He unties my wrists and slams the door shut behind me.<p>

I open a door with my name on it and sit down on the bed there. It was big and fluffy just like all the other Capitol beds. I try to keep a straight face but I break down as soon as I try. I'm not even sure why. Maybe because everything has quickly become real. Or maybe because everything I had fought for, sacrificed for had been given to me for one year. ONE FRIKIN YEAR, and then stolen from me again. I didn't believe in a power of being that looked over all of Panem a) because He or She or It would have ended this cruelty years ago and b) I didn't know anything about the world before Panem. There had been rumors of wars and disease havocking the land but anyone who might have remembered that time was long gone. Of course there was all that Panem Propos saying that a wise leader rose up from the ashes of the world once called North America and created this great country called "Panem". That was all big piece of bullshit. I grip the fluffy comforter until my knuckles turn white. Of course the fluffiness of the piece of fabric made me even angrier. I jump up and run over to the window and press my hands against the window. I saw the wood of the station and I just wanted to touch it one last time but there was this big pane of glass between me and freedom. I felt trapped already even though I wasn't even in the arena yet. I stand there for a while just staring at the wood.

I hear a ding and an electronic voice says, "Dinner is now ready, please make your way to the dining car now." I sigh and take my hands from the window. I had stayed there even when I saw the train start to leave the station. Even though I didn't want to leave my position but I was hungry. I undo my braid quickly and head out. Fortunately, Paige and my mom weren't in the car so I guessed they were in the dining car. I make my way slowly to the door separating my car and the dining car. I duck down and peek out the window to see who was there. Paige and Peeta were sitting across each other deep in conversation. Gale was looking concerned and Rory was pushing a bunch of meat into his mouth. My mother was to my back but she was still, not moving. I duck back down when I see Gale glance over at the door. A second later I hear a chair screeching and then the door flings open. I topple over because I had been leaning on the door for balance. "Ow…"I mumble quietly.

"Catnip…" Gale starts. He gives me a hand up and as soon as I'm up I let go. He looks a little hurt but recovers. I don't say anything in return and dart by him. I grab a bowl, fill it with lamb stew then run back to my train car, or at least try. Gale stops me by creating a barrier between me and the door way. "Katniss!" By then anyone who hadn't noticed me enter was now staring at my back, their burning gazes made me feel exposed. I avoid Gale's gaze and look down at the ground. I was still wearing my Mockingjay dress. Then a horrible dread fills me, they would absolutely throw it away, burn it even. I would guess Thistle Crane himself would, on live TV.

"Leave me alone…" I mumble. Gale gives me skeptical look and doesn't move. I try to push his arms away but someone takes my shoulders and guides me over to the table. That person was Peeta. I throw a death glare and then stare down at the bowl of lamb stew I had gotten. Everyone has become quiet and even Rory has stopped eating. Everything has gotten too awkward for me and when Gale finally returns to the table I jump before he can react, grab my bowl and run towards the door. I falter and almost trip when I see my mom's disapproving look. Even though she wasn't speaking I could tell exactly what she wanted to tell, _sit down or I'll skin you._ I stare wide eyed at her and drop my bowl. I stumble backwards. Her face turned from disappointment to disgust.

"Katniss!" Paige, Peeta, Rory and Gale say at almost the exact same time. What was with these people? Were they able to magically time when they were all going to say the same thing?

"Uh…" I look down at the broken bowl. "Oh no!" I almost scream, an Avox man comes over quickly and cleans it up. I look around and don't see any Peacekeepers. I lean down next to the Avox and help him clean up the mess. "I'm sorry." The Avox glances my way but continues to clean up my mess. "Thank you cleaning it up." This time the Avox nods and finishes cleaning up and steps away. I stand up and look back at everyone. "I'm going back to my room." They stare at me disapprovingly, "I'm tired." Then I add because they look like they don't believe me, "I didn't sleep well last night." Now they believe me because none of us probably got a good night sleep. I turn away from them and head back to my room.

I'm lying on my bed staring at the big TV they were re playing the interview when Thistle Crane announced the 76th Hunger Games. I was waiting for the reapings that they kept saying they would play. I flip around and lie on my back and stare at the ceiling. Suddenly the Capitol anthem plays and I flip back around onto my stomach and watch as the Capitol symbol appears on screen. Delphi smiles and next to her is Ceaser Flikerman. I hadn't seen him in a long long time.  
>"Well these have been some of the most interesting reapings we've seen in a long time!" Delphi exclaims. It disgusted me how much she was brain washed.<p>

"Without further ado, ladies and gentleman! The 76th Hunger Games reapings!"

The screen cuts to District 1. Calaysee is called first and she grins straight into one of the nearby cameras. The rest of the tributes are all clearly careers. They're strong fit and also grin when their names are called. All between the ages of 14-18. District 2 was all little children between the ages of 5-12. Enobaria volunteers for one of them. She must have talked to Plutarch or Haymitch recently then. Of course the full horror of the children is still sinking in and Enobaria passes my mind quickly. I open my eyes wide but then stuff my face into the bed not wanting to watch all these children walk up those stages. When I hear them say District 4 I look up again. The three females are all very old and weak all very similar to Mags. When they say Boggs Odair's name a voice screams out, "I volunteer! I volunteer! Don't take my nephew away!" I look for the screaming voice but can't seem to match it with a face. It isn't until they burst into the middle clearing that I see them for the first time. The woman was the same age as Peeta and I and had brown curly hair. I stare in awe at this person. I felt a million years of gratitude for her.

"You can't volunteer." The Peacekeeper who had been reading the names states.

"I can! You said it yourself, 'You may volunteer for anyone in your district that is reaped'. I can go into the arena for Boggs Odair if I want to." Her face has turned red with rage. Someone bursts into tears and I notice that it's Annie who's holding Boggs to her chest near the back not too far away from the woman. The Peacekeepers look at each other dubiously then started whispering to each other. They step back after a minute.

"That is true. You may volunteer for Boggs Odair." She steps up onto the stage. "State your name."

"Sivan, Sivan Cresta."

Sivan's POV

I sigh and sit down next to Thyme she smiles at me. "That was a pretty big sacrifice." She says to me. I nod. The boys had given me high fives when we were at dinner. I sigh.

"He's my nephew. I couldn't let Annie deal with more loss. I mean she lost…" I trail off. Thyme nods her old face and smiles sadly at me.

"Still a very noble act. What were you thinking when you screamed that you volunteered?" She asks. I tilt my head because I didn't exactly know _what_ I was thinking.

_I look sadly at Annie, trying to memorize this image of her holding baby Boggs, whispering soothing words to him. In a matter of minutes I would be volunteering so that the cruelty of the Capitol would not win. Boggs was the only baby going into the arena. I would not let him die. Surely, Annie would seal herself up and never utter another word for the rest of her life. Might even end her life. I would not let her do that. Obviously, she hadn't noticed the loop hole in the new Hunger Games rules. I had spent the whole trip back studying it, for some sort of loop hole and there I found. All they said under "Volunteering Rules" was that you could volunteer for _anyone_ in your district. I would save one life from death and save another from a life of torture. Actually, I was wondering what Katniss and others were planning. They surely wouldn't give up so easily, would they? Then they called Boggs' name and all my reflexes told me to scream. Scream as loud as I could, to destroy the plans of the Capitol and to save Annie's sanity. I take a deep breath and shriek._

"I was thinking about Annie and how I couldn't let them take her away from me. They weren't taking just Boggs from me; they were taking Annie as well. She would have lost all hope right then and there. She was barely holding herself together when she had seen that list. I could tell that as soon as Boggs was taken from her arms she would scream, sob then never make a sound ever again. Never. She would slowly crawl away into her own little world. I couldn't let that happen to her. She's my older sister. She means more than the whole universe to me."

**OMG OMG OMG! BOGGS ISN'T GOING TO DIE! WHO'S HAPPY? I AM! (I'm not that evil people) Haha Katniss's mother can control Katniss with one look haha. (Why do I find that funny? It wasn't even meant to be funny.)_Anyway… IT'S ALMOST FRIDAY OMG! Okay it's only Wednesday but you know what? I don't care it's near the END of Wednesday so it's almost Thursday which means it's almost Friday which basically means it's almost Friday… You know what I just confused myself completely there. Anyway… Review! Thanks! They make my day. They really do. You guys are all amazing!**

**PEACE OUT! (O.o…)**


	28. Because

**OMG IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR THE CLOSING CEREMONIES! Well at my school that is… and I have to spend half the day in a chair watching everyone but me get an award… (D: *cries in corner*) Anyway… yeah… I'm going to go write stuff now. **

Peeta's POV

I close my eyes than re-open them. I look at Gale who was sitting in the arm chair even though he looked completely disgusted by it. Gale's mouth was open; his eyebrows have risen a few inches. Rory was in his room, doing whatever. Gale suddenly jumps up and runs over to the door to the dining car.

"You don't think it's locked?" I say just as the door slides open. I start to get up but Gale throws me a look that says Katniss didn't need to be even more overwhelmed. I sit back down and look at the TV. They had moved on from District 4 and were now displaying the tributes from District 5. The girls all had red hair and green eyes, all about 16. I shudder as I remember the accidental death of Foxface. The boys had two twins that I couldn't make out any difference for except that one was slightly taller. I sigh and look down at the ground. Why was this happening? And then the strangest thing happened, I wasn't scared for my life. I was more concerned for Katniss'.

Gale's POV

I use all my strength to pull open the door and surprisingly it opens with ease. I fling myself across the dining car and knock on the door, knowing that that door was surely going to be locked. Tansy, Katniss' mother, opens the door. Her eyes are frantic and wide. "She's screaming but won't let anyone in the room." I nod and push past her. Paige is standing in front of the door. She stares at the handle, obviously giving up hope on trying to calm Katniss down. I move her out of the way and knock on the door.

"Hey Catnip…" I mumble. Katniss stops crying/screaming. She opens the door a tiny bit and pokes her head out.

"What?" She hisses. That was Katniss for you. Moody Katniss who I loved so much.

"What's wrong?" She smiles brightly at me which catches me off guard.

"Nothing! Everything's better than perfect!" She chirps then slams the door in my face.

"Well, okay then…" I make my way back over to my own car, say good night to Peeta then head into my room for the night.

Katniss' POV

I slam the door on Gale's face. I felt bad for doing that but I really wanted to be alone. I don't know why I started screaming but it was definitely out of happiness, if you can do that. I lie down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. Sleep starts to take over my body and I close my eyes. I think of Sivan and how thankful that Boggs was no longer going to suffer and I fall asleep that night with a smile on my face.

The next morning we arrive at the Capitol. I take a quick shower and still have no idea how to use the Capitol showers so I get sprayed with something that smells like strawberries, fish and yogurt. I grimace when I encounter the rest of the District 12 tributes. Paige smelled like lemons and copper. My mother who didn't meet my eyes, smelled like hazelnuts and potatoes. Rory smelled like holiday cookies, Gale smelled like root beer and Peeta smelled like a wet dog. I frown at the smell. "Whoa people! Are we at a perfume store or something?"

"Shower." Everyone says. I nod. I look down at my clothes, nothing too fancy; I was going to try to stay low until the arena. I was wearing a green shirt; my Mockingjay pin was pinned over my heart and black cargo pants. I had hid my Mockingjay outfit and hoped that the Avoxs wouldn't be able to find it. The door slides open and I walk out first, which was a good thing because I was the only one who looked confident.

I blink as I get assaulted with questions and flashing cameras. I ignore the questions but smile and try not to look disgusted by them. Paige follows behind looking a little overwhelmed but soon follows my lead. My mother stands there and has a distant look in her eyes. I sigh and watch Rory jump out who refuses to smile but instead folds his arms over his chest and acts cold. Peeta comes out and millions of screams of delight assault my ears. A wave of jealously hits me but I push it away when I see Gale walk out. He has a hard look, probably hiding the hatred he was feeling towards all these people. Of course all the girls who had been squealing stop and everyone starts asking _Gale_ questions. Guess Gale went over well everywhere, I think as I remember how girls at school looked at him. A peacekeeper grabs my wrist harshly and pulls me away from the crowd and into a building. They throw us all into an elevator. The elevator goes up 12 floors and then stops. I walk at out am surprised that we still have the penthouse. I walk away from the group and sit down at the dining table. Everyone makes their way over to the table as well. I tap the place next to me when I meet Peeta's eyes. He gives me a wary look but sits down next to me anyway.

"So here's the plan." I start once everyone's sat down, Gale and Peeta on either side of me, Paige next to Peeta and Rory next to Gale and my Mother as far away from me as possible. "Peeta and I have done this before and so we're going to help everyone strategize." Peeta nods next to me.

"First off," Peeta starts picking up where I left off, "We need to know what your weapon of choice and what your strengths are."

"Well you know mine…" Gale mutters. I nod.

"Snares and you're pretty good with a bow and arrows and if you have to knives as well." Gale nods.

"Rory?" I ask.

"You were going to teach me how to use the bow but I can use a hammer." Rory responds.

"What?" Gale and I ask him.

"They taught us in school. They were trying to lower the costs of training for the mines by teaching us in school instead." Gale and I share a look, that wasn't why they were teaching them that. Were they trying to make our kids construction workers now? They didn't need to know how to use a hammer in the mines.

"Okay… moving on." I say awkwardly. I look at Paige. "So Paige…"

"So what?"

"What are you good at?"

"Cooking, healing and frosting cakes."

"Well… are you good at camouflage?"

"No, I can't paint. I'm only good at frosting." I start to lose ideas about what she could use to protect herself.

"Well there's always time to learn!" Peeta saves me and winks at me. I smile quickly. Paige nods then stares at the table, her hands folded in her lap.

"So now that we've all…"

"What about your mom?" Peeta just has to point out. I look at my mom and the heat that I feel when our gazes meet is so intense I swear I can feel my skin start to burn.

"Hey mom…" I say.

"Katniss." She says coldly. Then everything snaps inside me.

"AGAIN?" I yell at her.

"Katniss."

"No not that! Why do you always leave _me_ when I need help? When I actually need my mom?" I get up from my seat. Nobody moves except for my mom. She stands up but grimaces when she meets my gaze again.

"Because you don't deserve it."

"How do I not deserve it?" Tears were forming at my eyes.

"Because!" She yells at me. I have enough and start to stomp away.

"That is a great excuse _Tansy_."

"Because I can't look at you!"

"Yes I can tell." I choke out because now I couldn't hold back the tears anymore.

"Because… because…" She falters and I turn around and glare at her.

"Because I remind you of Dad and Dad makes you think about Prim and they both bring you pain." I say accusingly. "You can't look at me as _me_. What kind of mom can't look at her eldest daughter with feeling disgust and disappointment? Well guess what? None! You are no longer a mother, Tansy. Good night." I walk away quickly and just faintly hear Gale say to Peeta, "You just had to bring up her mother didn't you?"

**Oooooooooooooo…. (lots of oooooos….) Katniss and **_**Tansy**_** having family problems. Well we kind of knew that already. Anyway… yeah… I think Katniss was very OOC I'm not sure. Anyway… review! Thanks.**


	29. You're Not Alone

**Ok sooo hi! I've been debating this one thing to do for my fanfic (don't want to spoil anything) but tell me if you want me to be depressed while I write the thing in a review(YOU HEARTLESS PEOPLE THAT WANT ME TO BE DEPRESSED :( ) but it will make everything more dramatic. If you don't want me to burst into tears writing it please say so. It won't be as dramatic but it won't hurt as much to write. Do you people ever feel like God when your writing stories, like you hold all these people in your hands and you can like go "DIE PUNY SERVANTS" especially when you're writing a war scene or something.. haha… ok NOW READ!**

Katniss' POV

Instead of heading to the room marked with my name I head back to the elevator and press the up button. I feel a burning sadness start in my heart. I grit my teeth and wait for the elevator to go to the roof. I really wanted to scream but that wouldn't make me feel any better. Instead I grip the hem of shirt and walk out of the elevator. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. It barely works though so I walk over to the railing and grip it until my knuckles turn white. I look out at the Capitol, if I hadn't lived in District 12 most of my life I might have thought that all of the lights and buildings at night were a sight to see. But I had lived in District 12 so instead all I saw was jealously. That's right. I was jealous of all the technology and food the Capitol had. I sigh and look down at the force field that I could tell was there. I hear the elevator door open. "Go away Peeta." I say. I wanted to be alone but I guess the roof wasn't the greatest place for that. I thought of Peeta when I was here. The picnic we had and where he told me that he wanted to die as himself not some Capitol controlled freak.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Bready Boy." Rory says.

"Rory?" I ask surprised. I spin around. It wasn't Rory who said that, it was Gale.

"Again, I'm not Rory."

"Sorry, he just sounds and looks just like you…" Gale smiles at me.

"I know, it's like watching myself grow up."

"Nah I was the one who watched you grow up."

"Catnip... I'm older." He puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Well... you know what I mean…" I try to smile but I can't. I look up at the sky and swallow. I blink back tears that threaten to come back.

"Catnip…"

"Why?" I start. "Why does all of this have to happen to me?" I lean against the railing and look up at the night sky. You couldn't see any stars here. "I mean what did I ever do to deserve this? I don't even have any family left."

"That's not true." Gale tries budge in but just like in my flashback, I don't listen to him.

"Dad dies. Prim gets reaped. The Hunger Games. President Snow. Everything in my stupid life? Why does everything have to be so _complicated_?" Gale tries to reach out but I ignore his attempt to comfort me. "I mean really? Really God? If you even exist… why?" I can't help it anymore and the tears don't stop now. They flow down my cheeks in a waterfall and don't stop. "DADDY!" I scream like when I was 6 and I was lost in the crowd of people when he had first dropped me off at school. I sniffle. I had easily found my way back to him and the rest of the day went by smoothly but this time. One scream for help wouldn't help me get him back, because he was lost from me forever.  
>"Catnip… shhh…" Gale opens his arms and pulls me close to him.<p>

"No… no…" I try to refuse but eventually I collapse against him. "I'm all alone."

"That's not true." He says and this time I listen. "As long as I'm here, you won't be."

The next day, I got up, put on a blue t-shirt and dark blue jeans and of course put my pin on. I was the first one up in the morning so I made myself a hot chocolate and got some bread. As I slowly dip the bread in the chocolate I think about what Peeta and I's strategy might be. Of course we could continue the "star crossed lovers" thing that worked last time but if I looked at a gossip magazine the cover page would have a title like "Star Crossed Lovers Fake?" or "Real or Not Real?". I was sick of people getting into my life. They couldn't leave me alone? Speaking of the devil, Peeta walks in a second after I think that. He sits down next to me and smiles politely. "Hey Peeta."  
>"Morning," He grabs a cup of coffee and some eggs.<p>

"What's our plan exactly?" I start. He looks up and me puzzled.

"For what?"

"The Games."

"What do you mean?"

"Are we going to be the "Star Crossed Lovers" again?" He pushes his scrambled eggs around the plate.

"I'm not sure we can anymore." Peeta looks up at me sadly.

"I know what you mean." I hesitate for a moment before I place my hand over Peeta's. Then Prim's words echo back into my head, _"You have to pick one!"_ Peeta looks at our hands but doesn't pull away. I smile at him. "It could work though."

"Have you seen those magazines?" He nods towards the magazine rack by the couch. I ponder and just as I'm about to give up, Gale walks in and I smirk.

"Love triangle…" I mutter under my breath.

"What?" Peeta asks me, his eyes opening wider. Gale stops and stares at Peeta and I's hands.

"See it could totally work. I mean look at Gale. He's burning up with jealously and we're just holding hands."

"Am not!" Gale protests, "I was just you know, looking at your bread and how you're dipping it in hot chocolate…" He trails off.

"Good try Gale." I smile. It was _way_ too easy to tease Gale.

"How would that even help us get Sponsors?"

"Well everybody seems to like both of you and I guess I'm used to people getting all caught up in my love life. I don't really mind." But I did. Oh well, I've already sacrificed a lot. Privacy can be another thing.

"One problem," Gale cuts in. "People think we're cousins."

"Ahh that's just a tiny hurdle in this big obstacle course." I smirk, "We just have to sell it at the interviews. Plus Calaysee will probably bring her little blood test results."

"What?" Gale eyes me curiously.

"Nothing!" I say a little too quickly but Gale doesn't push it. He takes a seat next to me instead.

"You actually think this is going to work?" Peeta asks.

"Of course!" I exclaim. "Plus if that doesn't work, I have an idea for Paige and Rory."

"What!" Peeta and Gale shout.

"It's only for survival. We need the Sponsors."

"I'm not letting you make Rory move on!" Gale says angrily.

"Don't you think Paige has been through enough."

"What about us?" Paige and Rory ask as they walk into the room.

"Nothing!" Peeta and Gale say quickly.

"Making plans on how to get sponsors. You guys good actors?"

"Uh sure… I got the lead in the play when I was in 2nd Grade before I got kidnapped." Paige says glumly.

"I guess…" Rory mumbles.

"Okay good because District 12 is going to become a drama fest!" I say cheerfully. Rory and Paige stare at horror in me then to each other then back to me.

"KATNISS!" Everyone yells at me.

"What? I'm being a more sober Haymitch for you."

"Well stop." Gale says at the same time Peeta says, "Oh thank God we don't have that old drunk as our mentor again."

I laugh, "Can we just agree on our plan for us three first?"

"Fine." Gale says.

"Okay." Peeta agrees.

We continue our breakfast in peace and quiet. I wasn't looking forward for the pre-chariot ride preparations. Maybe because I didn't like getting every single peice of hair on my body plucked off me except for some of eyebrows and the hair on my head. But more than likely it was because of Cinna. I couldn't be around more Prep team people without thinking of him. I had to get over his death sooner or later right?

**And I'm done! I'm really hungry now so I'm going to go eat some watermelon. Yum… I've already studied a lot so Chapter 29 will be out soon… probably. I also hate Love Traingles but I felt like this was the one exception that my hatred will let me write. Why did Twilight have tostart this trend of one girl and two boys. UGH! (kind sexist if you think about it) Anyways… thanks for reviewing the last chapter. REVIEW PLEASE! I really can't delete any of the notifications for the emails. They're in this little folder that I go look at when ever I'm really sad/depressed. YOU GUYS MAKE ME SOO HAPPY! (Ha you people that want me to be depressed, be THAT!) Okay Thanks! I'm going to go now. I'm actually really hungry now… BYE! SEE YOU LATER! CIAO! **ప్రత్యక్షంగాఉద్దేశించబడనివస్తువులేకవిషయం**! Wow that's a long way to say bye… Okay now really… BYE!**


	30. Here Goes Everything

**FREEDOM! *Sigh* it's so nice not to have to wake up 7:15 am anymore. I CAN SLEEP TILL 9! :D And I can write more chapters! Which is good for you guys. And I'll try to start PMing Thank You-s to reviewers who have accounts. (Sorry Anonymous reviewers I still love you guys too just kind of hard to thank you guys except for in these AU) Yup okay…( people who have read The Fault in Our Stars… I WILL NEVER THINK OF THE WORD OKAY THE SAME WAY! People who haven't read it… be warned… it makes you ****cry**** sob for most of the last part of the book.) Now you guys can read because I'm going to shut up.**

"OW!" I scream.

"Will you quiet down?" My new prep team member, Bristle, yells at me. He had been using wax paper to rip off every poor little piece of hair on my legs.

"Do you have to do it so hard though?" Bristle doesn't respond but a millisecond later I feel a burning pain on my leg. I bite my lip so I don't scream out again. I really wanted to slap him but another member of my prep team, Regret, was painting my fingernails and Lavender was curling my hair. I sigh and look away from my legs and turn to look at Regret instead. That was a weird name. Of course most people in Panem had weird names. I mean who names their child Donkey? Wasn't that an old type of animal that went extinct? I feel a poke at my side and jolt back into the present. Regret was asking me I liked my nails. I nod automatically but pay more attention to them afterwards. Each finger had a letter, G-I-R-L-O-N-F-I-R-E. On my right hand's pinkie finger there was a small flame that, I have no idea how, was glowing slightly like a candle. Each of the letters on my fingers was a different color ranging between red to yellow on a black background. I smile at my nickname and mutter a thank you to Regret. She was surprisingly young and quiet. She also didn't have any weird fashion sense. Regret seemed like a person who really wouldn't fit anywhere. I sigh and try not show her too much pity.

Once I'm all "prettied" up my stylist walks in. I almost run over and hug her when I see that it's Portia. She smiles sadly at me and I can tell she's holding back tiny tears. "Hi Katniss."

"Hello." I smile at her and hold up my nails for her to see. Her eyes open wide.

"I didn't tell her to do that. I just said to make them black…"

"Well this is better. How did you make the fire glow?" Portia cuts me off with a harsh shush.

"Katniss! Be quiet! We're not even supposed to talk!" She whisper shouts at me. I nod and don't say anything. She hands me a black dress dusted with coal dust. I put it on and look myself in the mirror. The dress lands lightly on the ground in a swirl of what looks like dust. I sigh, it was still beautiful of course but I wanted something that wasn't naturally "District 12" material. "Hmm…" Portia wonders to herself. "Long dresses worked last time but…" She looks at the dress thoughtfully on me. I continue to look at my reflection though. The dress was strapless and didn't show off much skin which I thanked the mysterious force for. "Ugh! This is all wrong. Take the dress off."

"Wha-."

"Take it off!" Portia was getting extremely agitated and stressed. I quickly slip back out of the dress. "We need to get this shortened and layered. Be back in a sec." She runs out of the room with the dress so I sit down on the table and wait.

When Portia gets back she hands me a black dress, but this one is much shorter and has a poufy skirt that you can just tell has coal dust over it. She tells me to put it on quickly and I do. She sets me in front of the mirror and gets to work. She braids in different strands of fabric that are, red, orange or yellow like fire. Then she hands me a switch. "Press this button when you are in the middle."

"What will it do?" She smiles mischievously at me.

"Oh you'll find out soon enough." Dread fills my stomach. I did _not_ like the way she was smiling at me. I take one last look at myself in the mirror. My braid was multi colored and my dress was poufy and black with coal dust. My face, thankfully, had just a thin layer of makeup that I might not be able to scrape off with a knife. Portia takes my hand and leads me to the chariots where everyone else is waiting.

I drift away from the rest of District 12 tributes who didn't match me at all. Paige was wearing a bright red sparkly dress that shimmered whenever she moved and landed right above her knees. My mother wore a long yellow dress that glowed like a shooting star. Gale was wearing a completely black coal miner's suit along with Peeta and Rory. Rory was playing around with his helmet because it didn't fit him right. I see a bowl of sugar cubes that are for the horses but just like Finnick said, why not enjoy it while we can? I pop one in my mouth and lean against a chariot. I close my eyes and just enjoy the sweetness of the sugar cube. Never had anything like that in District 12. Not even in the candy store. I feel a tap on my arm and I open my eyes. Haymitch has joined me and was leaning on the chariot as well. He looked like the young Haymitch I had seen when he was in the 50th Quarter Quell.

"Hey, Sweetheart."

"Haymitch."

"You have your plan all figured out?" I nod. "Good, I'll see you at training." He waves good bye and walks away. That's when I start laughing at what his Stylist has put him in. He's wearing full out _Capitol_ clothes. It looked horrible on him. He doesn't notice thankfully. I feel two hot eyes burning into my side as I watch Haymitch walk away. I turn to look at where I think they're coming from and catch Calaysee glaring at me from a distance. I return the hot glare for a few seconds then look away and head towards the rest of District 12. Gale was looking uncomfortable in his outfit so I walk over to him.

"Hey Gale."

"Do they have to put us in these ridiculous outfits? I mean, I don't think I would ever see you in a dress like that!" He nods towards my poufy strapless dust black dress.

"It's for the Sponsors. The better the stylist you get the more Sponsors you get."

"Well we got a bad stylist this year then."

"Oh I'm not so sure. I mean Portia did help Cinna create the outfits Peeta and I were in the first time."

"Yeah but I mean look at this." He points to his outfit. "It's horrible. Plus it brings back…" He trails off but I don't need him to say more because I can see in his eyes the pain. Pain from his father's death, and pain from working in those dreaded mines for a year. I nod so he understands that I understood what he meant to say. There's a beep and everyone starts filing into the appropriate chariots. Three tributes per chariot. I go on the one with Tansy and Paige, we head out after the District 11 tributes. I take a deep breath. Here goes everything.

**So I guess this was a shorter chapter… Idk. I'm almost done drawing the cover page for this. I love drawing too guys. I'm not like an amazing artist or anything but I like doing it so that's what counts… right? My deviantart is this if you guys care: XxWarriorCatsLoveXx **

**Anyway, Saturday I'm waking up at 4 to drive down to my summer house. YAY! It takes 18 stupid hours without internet to get there. UGH! Well I'll right some chapters then upload them the next day. You guys are awesome. Do you guys know some good Beta Readers that would edit this story for me? I really need one don't I? I suck at grammar. :( Oh well I'm good at making stuff dramatic so who really cares? Plus this is Fanfiction. Not English class. *sigh* I'm thinking of writing this new story for HG. But it's not really a story story. It's going to be called Hunger Chat or something and well… Nevermind I'll tell you guys when I've posted it if you want to read it. Yeah… See ya amazing people! :3**


	31. Queen of Fire Ignites and Random Extras

**SO guys! I'm in the car writing this because I don't get car sick very easily. (I was reading a couple minutes ago). I watched the lovely bones… REALLY GOOD MOVIE! I want to read the book now. My friend read it a couple days ago and I was just watching her read it at lunch jealously (SEE GUYS! YOU MADE ME GET JEALOUS AT PEOPLE READING! Note: I was writing one of the chapters of this fanfic for you guys at the time) So when I needed to watch movies for an 18 hour car drive I'm like: THE LOVELY BONES! I recommend it. Also guys I understand I'm not that great with grammar. My first language was not English. I mean I'm sorta fluent now with it but I haven't had as much time with it as other people. Anyway… enjoy this chapter!**

**Tara (Anonymous Reviewer Person XD): First up, thank you for reading and reviewing my story. Second, AWW REALLY? THANK YOU! :D Yeah I'm not that great with grammar. In grade 4, my teacher would always send everyone else to do regular stuff in English class and then we would just practice grammar most of the class. I'm still not that good at it. XD Thanks for the warning but it's not going to be on Facebook. It's just going to be random stuff that happens when the HG characters find an IM thingy. :P I don't know what it's called other than IM but never mind… that's not the point… I'm just procrastinating now. Thanks for reviewing!**

**One more thing: OMG PEOPLE YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! OVER 100 REVIEWS? O.o What are you guys doing? YOU PEOPLE ARE AWESOME! I don't write poems or anything but now I want to write a poem about how awesome you people are…. XD …Sigh…*dies of happiness*… I really need to make you guys brownies or a cookie cake or something.**

**Now you can enjoy it:**

I take a deep breath as our chariot starts to move forward. I look at Paige to the right of me. She's nervously switching her weight from one foot to the other. I take her hand to re-assure her. She looks up at me in surprise. I smile at her and slowly her lips twitch up into a smile as well. I don't take my mother's hand even though I know she's on the verge of insanity**(Random note: IT'S CHAPTER 18! :D)**. I grip the remote with the single red button in my left hand. I resist the urge to press the button but I know that I have to be patient. It could ruin the whole plan Portia has come up with and in the end I decided to ignore the itch to press it and focus on the horses in front of me. They were both black. Was that just a coincidence or did the stylists have a say on the horses as well? I keep thinking about horses and soon enough I'm closing in on the middle of the ride. I place my finger on the button and just before I reach the middle I press it. That's when the chaos starts. Well at least for me. I cough and splutter. Dust was everywhere and then suddenly there's a blinding light.

"Well what do you know? There is an afterlife." I mutter under my breath and laugh silently. The light changes into four different colors: Black, Orange, Red and Yellow. Once the dust disappears, I find myself in the same black dress but without the dust anymore and that red and orange streamers that are glowing brightly have fallen out of the hem and fall neatly on the ground. My dress is also glowing brightly in all different colors. I look up at one of the big screens and see that the ribbons Portia had neatly braded into my hair were now in flames and has somehow wrapped around my head. I was wearing a crown of fire. I notice behind me that Gale, Peeta and Rory are covered in dust and their helmets are on fire. Tansy and Paige's dresses are glowing but I am clearly the brightest one. I notice what Portia has done with this. She has made me look high and mighty against everyone else. My circle of deputies **(Ok people I couldn't think of the word and my friend gave me this and it was the closet to what I wanted so you know what… if you know the word I'm looking for I'll give you a virtual hug.) **shines brightly along with me. I'm the queen of fire. I'm amazed but not that happy. I don't want to seem stuck up. Portia has made me look like I was above everyone else. Of course I don't complain because the crowd is complete awe. The whole area is silent before the people start cheering. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. My chariot comes to a stop and I feel a familiar burning glare burn my skin. _Calaysee_ _Coin_. I look over to the District 1 tributes and there's Calaysee discreetly throwing imaginary swords at me. I return them right back at her. For the first time, I pay attention to what she's wearing. It's an odd costume but I guess I shouldn't be saying anything considering I was on fire… She was wearing a dress made of a bluish shaded glitter that shone like ice. She had her hair pulled up and had glitter that was shaped like ice around in her hair. That's when I realize how different Calaysee and I are. We were exact opposites. I had black hair and Calaysee had blonde. Calaysee was working with the Capitol, I against. I was fire she was ice. We were complete opposites that would never get along. It was in our nature. The only similarity we did have was that we both had grey eyes, but just like her mother, Calaysee's eyes were pale and seemed like all their color was sucked out of them. I take a deep breath. I was not looking forward to the arena. Not at all…

I flop down on the couch. "That was painful." I mutter.

"Tell me about it." Rory says as he sits down on the ground and starts looking through a book he found. Gale sits down on an armchair and Peeta makes his way to the kitchen. Paige soon joins Rory on the ground and they flip through the book together. I lie on my side and pull a pillow to my face. I mutter nonsense into it. Everybody was probably questioning my sanity when Peeta taps my shoulder. I turn my head around and see Peeta handing me a cup of hot chocolate. I sit up straight, place the pillow on my lap and start sipping. After a few sips, I mutter a thank you to Peeta. He nods and sits down on the other side of the couch. I start to feel kind of claustrophobic with everyone sitting there silently except for the occasionally whispers from Paige and Rory. I get up and walk out without another word. I could feel Peeta and Gale exchange a glance behind my back. _Please follow me_, I silently pray. I wanted to talk to them but it was too crowded in there. I needed open space. Longing fills my stomach. I needed my woods. They made me sane. They made me myself again, even if it was just for a little while.

I sit down on a bench and hear the elevator door ding and head back down to our floor. When it comes back up Peeta and Gale walk out. "What's up?" Gale asks me with curiosity. He knew me too well. He guessed that I wanted to talk to him. I get extremely shy for some reason and stare down into my hot chocolate.

"You guys realized what Portia did right?" I don't hear a response for a long time I almost think they left.

"Yes." Peeta says at the same time that Gale says, "Think so."

I sigh. "The nerve of her…" I start rambling, Gale and Peeta start staring into nothing but I continue. I end it with tears in my eyes and me just huffing out between breaths, "I wish I could just live somewhere else for five minutes. I would be _fine_ then. Just _five_ minutes."**(* read what I wanted to write here at the end of this chapter thingy XD)**Gale and Peeta hesitate, neither sure what to do. There's an awkward silence before I hiss in a deep breath. I've been crying a lot lately. Well, I guess nobody would blame me. Most people would be sobbing at least once every day in my position. "Good night." I say quickly and get up. I start to head toward the elevator but Peeta grabs my wrist.

"Katniss… we're here for you… you know that right?" His blue eyes glitter in the city lights. I'm too stunned to respond. Finally, I blink and shake my wrist out of his grip and hurry down to my room.

**I know I know this is kind of short but I don't know. I've been distracted by the epilogue/beginning of part 2 of this story. Plus I've been really really REALLY busy. (sorry TGBW I haven't been able to reply yet or read the new chapter. Sorry :(…..) I haven't seen most of my friends here and my other friends keep emailing me and I'm just in this big ball of chaos. I got a scanner… I don't know.. I'm happy about that. Sooo yeah… enough about my problems let's go to the random thing(well I wrote 2 versions…) I wrote:**

**Version 1:**

**Gale's POV**

**Suddenly there's a bright light and I hear Katniss scream. I try to reach out to where she was before but the light is too bright. When the light finally dims Katniss is gone. I open my eyes wide and turn to where Peeta is. Thankfully (or unfortunately I wasn't sure) he is still there. Where did that bright light take her?**

**Katniss'POV**

**There's a bright light and then suddenly something grabs me and automatically I scream and try to twist free but it's too strong. When I'm finally put down and the light dims I see I'm surrounded by people. "Ladies and Gentleman, Jennifer Lawrence" an announcer says. Nobody cheers until someone yells from the crowd, "THAT'S THE REAL KATNISS EVERDEEN!" People in the crowd nod and murmur in agreement. **

"**That's right get into the spirit! Jennifer will be a great Katniss!" I look over at the person who's announcing it. They had normal clothes on but they were fancy, like reaping clothes. Who was this Jennifer Lawrence. Were people trying to replace me? **

"**No seriously that's the **_**real**_** Katniss…" The person who called out before says. The announcer turns to look at me and nearly jumps back.**

"**What?" I ask. Everybody cheers. What was this place? **

"**Oh God! It is the real Katniss… How did that happen…?" The announcer stumbles backwards and trips over a wire. People in the crowd laugh and flash some lights. I stay there looking stunned. People start throwing questions at me and they're so many of them that I can't understand any. This lasts for about 5 minutes. Then the bright light comes back and takes me back to Panem.**

"**Katniss!" Gale exclaims. Peeta gets up and pulls me into an awkward hug. **

"**Oh thank you universe for bringing me back." I sigh.**

"**Where did you go?"**

"**I have no idea but the people there are lunatics…"**

**Version 2**

**Gale's POV (same as before…)**

**Suddenly there's a bright light and I hear Katniss scream. I try to reach out to where she was before but the light is too bright. When the light finally dims Katniss is gone. I open my eyes wide and turn to where Peeta is. Thankfully (or unfortunately I wasn't sure) he is still there. Where did that bright light take her?**

**Katniss' POV**

**There's a bright light and then suddenly something grabs me and automatically I scream and try to twist free but it's too strong. When I'm finally put down and the light dims I see that I'm on a hill. There a bunch of trees and an older version of Moss is scribbling stuff down under one of the trees. Suddenly a horse with a horn on its head jumps over across the sky and lights the sky into a million colors, like a rainbow. 6 kids with wings follow behind it. Another one was running on the ground yelling, "Help me! Max wait!" **

**The bird kid at front yells down at him, "Shut up Dylan! Go dig yourself a hole." I look away from them and shiver. What was up with this world? I look at Moss and she suddenly turns into a green cat with a band around her head and right front paw. **

**She walks over to the forest and says, "O Goddess of Ice Cream… Oh wait that's me… Giant Ice Cream Cone? Please?" A few seconds later a giant cone of purple ice cream with chocolate chips in it appears. "THANK YOU MAGICAL FORCE… Never mind that's me again…" The cat jumps onto the cone and flies away over the rainbow. **

"**Okay…?" I say as I turn around. I jump back. There's my life playing out in front of me. Except there's some differences. Peeta is killed terribly by a crazy looking familiar person… Moss. I open my eyes wide. What the hell was this place…? Near the end **** *** * **** *** **** *** **** ****** **** ***** (sorry guys spoilers for this fanfic... not swearing I promise.) I turn around again, completely in shock. Of course there's a dude with black hair and sea green eyes who throws water at me. A boy with curly hair and the bottom half of his body in goat form, clip claps over to him. **

"**Percy!" He yells at him. "Don't do that to random strangers…"**

"**Fine, Grover. Let's get going." The boy named Percy mumbles and the half goat boy and him walk away. Moss the cat comes back on a giant cupcake and sits back down under the same tree. **

"**Can I have some drums please?" She asks and turns back into a human. A drum set appears and Moss walks up to it and starts playing. She doesn't notice but hairless, tongueless, white eyed person (if you have watched Grave Encounters, the ghost thing from that) walks out from the woods. They were really freaking me out so I start to back away slowly. The person taps Moss on the shoulder. She flips around and smiles at the ghost.**

"**HI!" She exclaims and hugs the thing. The thing grabs her drum stick and runs away laughing. Moss chases after it. "GIVE IT BACK!"**

**Then a giant dog appears, that was almost completely black except for it's legs and muzzle that were tan. Moss stops running and looks at the giant dog.**

"**Luna…. CRATE!" She yells at the dog. The dog doesn't move. "Fine…" The dog lowers it's head and Moss scratches their ear. "Now will you go to your crate?" The dog runs away. Moss sighs. I curl up on the ground to freaked out by all of this. **

"**This is not real. This is not real." I mutter over and over. Other weird things appeared but I'll save you the details so you won't go insane. The bright light comes back and I'm returned to the Capitol. I wasn't more thankful in my life.**

**Can you guys guess where Version 2 was? Hehehe… my BRAIN…. I have a messed up mind…**

**~Moss**


	32. Electric Shock

**Thanks for reading people! It means a TON to me. And I just realized… HOLY CRAP! THE STORY IS IN THE 30'S NOW! Like for number of chapter O.O**

**Enjoy:**

I hear snickers from the District 1 and District 2 as I tie some more knots. They're all sneaking glances at me. Calaysee had already gotten a big group of careers together for her "group". I've been trying to ignore them but it's hard when they pretend to bump into you accidently, throwing you into the camouflage paint. Peeta helped me clean myself off since he was working there at the time. His words from last night echo into my head, _we're here for you._ At least I could count on him and Gale to stick by me forever. Well I hope so. I don't know what I would do if they were both gone. Probably go insane or worse… never mind I don't even want to think about it. Haymitch sits down on the ground next to me.

"Sweetheart… we've all got some planning to do." He says quietly so other people don't catch us. I nod slightly just so he could catch it. "Roof, tonight. Get as many allies as possible during lunch. Okay, Katniss?" I nod again. The next time I look over at where he was; he's gone. I sigh, untie the knot and try a new one.

I get up once I've tried a couple more. I see Calaysee send one of her girl followers over to the same station as where Gale was. I watch from the corner of my eye. What was she doing? The girl had blonde hair and blue eyes. She twirled her hair between one of her fingers and batted her eyelashes. I noticed that position. Gale must have too because I can see his muscles underneath his uniform. If you're wondering it's the same position girls that liked Gale would assume when they were flirting with him. A ball of fire always formed in my stomach when I saw that happen. This time though it was choking me. The girl grabs Gale's arm and pulls him toward her. I can't hold back any longer anymore. I stomp over there, rip the girl's hand away from Gale and put myself between her and Gale. "Leave him alone." I growl.

"Why…?" She's still twirling a strand of hair with one finger. She said this is in a super stereotypical girly girl voice.

"He's not interested!" I hiss at her. I take step towards her and meet her empty gaze with my fiery one.

"How do you know that? Sweetie pie here hasn't said no yet." She smiles sweetly behind me.

"No." Gale's low voice joins our conversation.

"There he said 'no'. Leave. Him. Alone." I glare at her.

"Fine." She mutters and turns around, and then I can't help it. I call her an airhead under my breath. She hears me though and flips around. "Oh like you aren't one." Her blank gaze is replaced by one made of steel. I falter. It was true. I never paid much attention in school. All that mattered was keeping my family and Gale's alive. I don't respond which makes her smirk. "I win, Liar." I open my eyes wider and stare at her as she turns around and heads back to Calaysee. That's when I see her smirk. She did that on purpose. She knew that I wouldn't be able to hold down my jealously. I surprise myself at that thought. For the first time I notice what that big ball of fire was. Jealously. I've been in love with Gale for a long time then. Or at least had a crush on him. I freeze for a second lost in thought. Then I turn around and look at Gale. He wasn't frowning or smiling. He didn't have a blank expression. He didn't have an angry expression either. He was… smirking. "Are you jealous, Catnip?"

"N—N—no." I blush and look down at my feet. Gale chuckles. **(Does anybody else find that chuckles is a weird word… )**

"It's okay, Catnip. Jealous is a good look on you." He smiles to himself and walks away. God that was stupid.

I sit down at a table next to Rory who's chowing down on some steak. "Hey don't…" I don't get to finish because my face is sitting in my lamb stew before I can. Someone's hand is on my head pushing it down. I wasn't prepared but maybe letting them push me around a bit will make me seem weak and they won't pay as much attention to me. Oh who am I kidding? Calaysee will make me the number one target through the whole game. If I even survive the first match… Something dawns on me. I smile against the table as a new plan forms in my head. I kick my legs out hitting the legs out from underneath whoever has attacked me. I lift my head and flip around to face them. The man was lying on his stomach facing the ground. I couldn't see his face. He had black hair and olive skin. Horror floods me. Did I just injure Gale? "Gale! Oh I'm so…" I trail off as the man lifts his head slowly and I see that the man had green eyes instead. He smirks and gets up slowly. Calaysee high fives him as he reaches their table. I just stand there, mouth agape staring at nothing in general. I was in too much shock. That was not something I was expecting.

"Hey Catnip…" Gale trails off as he walks up and sees my expression. I turn around, stay quiet and grab my bowl of lamb stew and start to slowly eat it. Gale takes a seat across from me. "Rory what happened?"

"Well a dude who looked a lot like a seam dude except had green eyes pushed Katniss' face into her lamb stew…"

"Oh so that's why her face is covered in her food… I just thought she lost all her hand eye coordination." I look up and scowl at Gale. He laughs quietly. Then his gaze hardens. He lowers his voice and says, "Who was it…?"

"Gale… no…"

"Don't make me ask Rory again."

"Gale…."

"Rory who did it?" Rory points to the man with black hair, olive skin and green eyes sitting at Calaysee's table. Gale gets up without moving his gaze away from the man.

"Gale…" My voice is low in warning. Gale starts to move and takes a few steps. "GALE!" Now he's half way there. "GALE GET YOU BUTT BACK HERE BEFORE I HAVE TO DRAG OVER HERE MYSELF!" I yell at him.

"You sound like mom." Gale calls back.

"HAZELLE DOES NOT SOUND LIKE THIS!" I yell angrily back.

"She actually kinda does…" Rory mutters.

"Not helping, Rory." I start stomping over to Gale, forgetting everything about no violence during training. I grab his arm twist it around and flip him toward me so he's facing my angry glare. "I said no."

"Well I say yes!" He untwists his arm but I just re-twist. I wasn't afraid to hurt Gale. Of course Gale didn't like hurting me which for me was an advantage point. He though was much taller and stronger than me. "Catnip, can you let go?"

"No."

"Aww I'm so irresistible that you can't let go of my arm!" Gale says. I blush and loosen my hold a little. My mistake. Gale smirks, twists away from my hold and charges up to the man. "You!" He barks. "Stay away from Catnip!" I blush even more as I stare at Gale. "I mean, Katniss." Even though he fixed his mistake it didn't make it any less embarrassing. People start murmuring stuff. Then I can't feel my leg. An electric shock snakes up it and into my spine. I stiffen then fall to my knees. I'm paralyzed so I fall straight onto my face. The electric shock moves away from my spine and I can move slightly but my leg still feel like a thousand fireworks were going off inside of it. I look at Calaysee and she's smiling.

"Oops. Guess I forgot to get that tracker out." She says casually as if she said she forgot to put shoes on. She shrugs as the electric shock returns and this time goes to my brain. I'm blackness for a minute, and then I'm flipping through a photo album of memories. Prim is in almost every single picture. _Prim_, I try to whisper. I don't know if I did or not because I didn't hear anything except for the buzz of electricity.

**Annnnnnnnnnndddd that's chapter 31 for ya folks. Sorry for the cliffhanger. Please review! Thanks! Favorite, subscribe whatever! Thanks again! **

**~Moss**


	33. Monsters and Stains

**You guys are awesome. Like I'm sorry. You are the most awesome people in the world. Love you guys. I can't believe I've only gotten a few bad reviews from the same people and only because my fanfic isn't a everlark/peeniss **

**You know what's weird… I'm listening to this really sad song called "My Immortal" by Evanescence and I'm like , "OMG ITS KATNISS" but I'm all hyper and all the top comments for the lyrics vid is like, "OMG THIS IS SOOO SAD." And I'm just here being happy and hyper xD.**

**To Gemma: … I'm literally speechless. I don't know what to say. This made me cry with happiness. You are awesome for reading this and telling me that is an amazing fanfic. I love you. It made my day… actually it made my year. It's people like you that keep me writing. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story. You are an awesome person. :D  
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**You guys know any good Beta Readers for me? I think I need one…. (DUH YOU DO NEED ONE, MOSS… hehe anyone see what I did there a few chapters back. IM NOT 8 YEARS OLD THOUGH OKAY! I'm just ya know… I ALWAYS LIKED POSY SO DON'T JUDGE!) SUGGESTIONS PLEASE! Okay time to get this party started! WHOOP WHOOP (Or should I say WEEEEEEEEE (inside joke if you don't understand… .))**

I flutter my eyes open and feel myself getting hefted up into strong arms. Everything's still blurry and I can only hear the buzz of electricity. Peeta stares down at me in fear. I turn my head and look in front of me. Calaysee is smirking as Gale throws another punch. Rory has gotten up and is trying to hold Gale back but his little 15 year old body is no match to Gale's 21 year scarred and strengthened body from the war. Rory is close to tears which I haven't seen in a long time. Another electric shock goes through my leg and I jerk in Peeta's hold. He stares down at me with his big blue eyes that shine a little. _What have I done?_ I can't help but think that all of this is my fault. This whole big mess is my fault. I'm a stain that has ruined something beautiful. The electric buzzing fades away. I start shivering and push my body away from Peeta. "I DON'T DESERVE THIS!" I scream. I'm falling down to the ground but I quickly scramble to my feet but learn that my left leg is still shocked from the tracker electricity. I limp away from Peeta quickly, tears in my eyes. "I'm a monster. I'm a monster. I'm a _monster_." I trip and fall on my face **(xD)**. All the air comes whooshing out of me and I'm stunned for a second before I'm getting to my feet again. But that's all Peeta needed. He pulls my head against his chest but I try to squirm away. "GET AWAY FROM ME! I DON'T WANT TO STAIN YOU TOO!" Peeta doesn't let go, though. "If you want to do what's right for me. Let. Me. Go." Peeta doesn't move. "Fine. You'll suffer too." I keep trying to pull away anyway.

"So it was true." I hear a familiar voice say behind me. "The brave mockingjay has finally collapsed."

"Johanna." I hiss.

"Mockingjay." She answers just as coldly.

"Peeta let go of me."

He hesitates then says, "You won't do anything stupid?"

"Don't count on it. You never know with me. I'm a stain that ruins everything." I look up at his big blue eyes and I can see that he's worried for me. "Peeta… _please_." I beg him. He sighs and gives in. I turn around and stare at Johanna. I wasn't sure why we were so cold to each other. We had trained together in District 13 but we weren't exactly great friends. Two identical heads pop out on either side of Johanna. They looked like twins, with brown hair and brown hair. To make it worse they were both wearing the training uniform so I had no idea if I was seeing double or if they were two different people. They were definitely related to Johanna. "Whoa… am I seeing double? I didn't know I was _that _out of it."

Johanna smiles slightly, "This is Choux and Steve. They are my twin little brothers." The twins step aside and look at me wide eyed.

"But I thought you said everyone that you loved was dead…"

"Ah well… You don't think after my parent's and old brother's death that I would fake their deaths and send them out of the District?" It hadn't occurred to me that she could have done that. I don't respond so she continues. "If you have to know the details, after the war I went out into the woods where I dropped them off and brought them back. _That_ was my _worst_ mistake." She shrugs. "Guess you know exactly how I felt. You over your little sister yet?" She turns to look at Gale. "Well considering you and Gale seem to be rather friendly towards each other I guess you have." I bristle. What did Gale have to do with this? Gale turns around; his nose was bleeding because Calaysee wouldn't act weak in front of all these people and threw in some of her own punches at Gale.  
>"Johanna…. SHUT UP!" He looks at Johanna. He was rather frightening with his fists clenched and blood dripping down his face onto his shirt.<p>

"Ah so that's how Katniss isn't clawing your throat out." She shrugs. "I guess I shouldn't ruin that. Not right now. If you want to live in lies go ahead." I start shaking.

"Please… Please stop talking about…" My mind has a mental freeze and I only have a face but I can't connect the dots to a name. "About…. About…" Tears start forming at my eyes. I knew this person was special to me and it hurt a lot when they… when they… where are they? There was a big blank in my head. I take a deep breath. "The girl who was very special to me." Everyone stares at me. I was crazy wasn't I? Maybe I should have stayed with Paige at that hospital. Peeta takes my hand and turns me towards him. My wall cracks. "I can't remember her anymore. What happened to her…? All I have is a face and a memory of pain and sadness. What's happened to me?" Nobody says a word but Calaysee cackles.

"Oh dear. This has been too fun."

Gale flips around, "You think this is _fun_? You're disgusting. How did you like my fist?"

"Ahh the Hawthorne kid. Always had a crush on her. Weird. A little messed up too. _Way_ to protective. Good at making snares. Killed…" She gets shut up by Gale punching her in the face again. "It isn't very gentleman like to punch a lady in the face."

"You… you are not a lady… you are a _monster_." He points an accusing finger at Calaysee.

"Ah well that is on my business card." She pulls out a piece of paper from her pocket. This is what it said:

Calaysee Coin

Torturer and Murderer

Also can be a Monster, Terrorizer or Assassin **( I wanted to lighten the mood slightly… I don't actually hate Calaysee. I think she's a good Antagonist and just needs some help.)**

Call 1 456 234 to contact Calaysee

"Well that's… um…" Beetee says. I look around and see him sitting in his wheelchair a few feet away. Everyone's quiet. I look down at Peeta and I's feet. Again Calaysee breaks the silence.

"Hey Liar." I look up. She smiles sadly at me. "I've enjoyed this game but it's time to end this soon." She sticks her hand out and for just one second I think she's just twisted and broken on the outside. Maybe on the inside she still realizes that all of this is horrible. I twist out of Peeta's hold and step towards Calaysee. She steps towards me too. I take her hand. I almost jerk away because it's cold to the touch like a dead body. She pulls me close and I see Gale and Peeta flinch. Her mouth is against my ear. Her breath was colder than the wind in the winter back home. "Her name was Primrose Everdeen. She was your little sister. You volunteered to go the Hunger Games for her. Gale Hawthorne's bomb killed her." She steps back and smiles sweetly. "Hope that helped." I don't say anything. I'm too stunned. The bell goes off signalling the end of lunch. _Great I didn't even eat yet_. But that was the least of my worries. People start to file out back towards the training room. I look around for Gale. Where was he? Then I find him and I stare at him.

"You. I'm not done with you."

**Dun dun dun duuuuuuuuunnnnnn. Katniss' mind has been manipulated by Calaysee. Well… her mind was kinda messed up and stuff anyway. *sigh* here let's have our wonderful teacher, Paige come and explain it to us for a second.**

**Paige: Hey Guys**

**Everyone: Hi Ms. Mellark**

**Paige: 'kay so what's up with Katniss' brain?**

**Everyone: *cricket sounds***

**Paige… okay I'll just explain. She has Level C (lowest level is A and highest is D) PTSD. Symptoms are avoidance of memories or things that will trigger bad and painful memories. At worst complete voluntary amnesia of those memories. So add two and two together what do you get?**

**Everyone: *more cricket sounds***

**Paige: … *is getting frustrated* SHE HAS PARTIAL AMNESIA ABOUT HER LITTLE SISTER BECAUSE SHE DIED YOU PEOPLE! **

**Everyone: Which means?**

**Paige: … I ALREADY EXPLAINED IT TO YOU! UGH! I CAN'T DO THIS! I QUIT! *grabs kid's hat and throws on ground then stomps on* PAIGE IS OUT! PEACE! *gives three finger District 12 funeral thingy and stomps out of room.***

**Well thank you Paige for that… explanation that was from a very trustworthy source otherwise known as Wikipedia … Anyway… again! BETA READER SUGGESTIONS FROM FELLOW WRITERS! :D REVIEW! READ THE NEXT CHAPTER WHEN IT COMES OUT! Thank you and have a good night. *bows and walks off stage***


	34. I'm Sorry That I'm A Coward

**First off some replies to Anonymous reviewer people:**

**To Tara (OMG YOU REVIEWED AGAIN :D): haha no I think I'm just awesome XD. Oh poor paige… *sigh*. I feel like I haven't mentioned her that much… meh… OMG HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KEEP TRACK OF PEOPLE IN THE ARENA! (sorry random thought that just popped out…) Ikr! I love Katniss when she goes insane. I don't know… it's just really fun to write. HAHA IKR POOR GALE! He's going to have more than a bloody nose once Katniss is done with him. *Hint hint* **

**To Kara: OH THANK YOU! Well I kinda updated like last night soooo I guess I've been updating a lot. I love getting new readers all the time! I hope you keep reading thanks! And IKR! Wait… but hasn't it always been like that… in my fanfic its just a tiny bit more chaotic. Well in the summary it does say that Katniss' peaceful life is about to get like ruined sooo I guess her life is very ruined right now… *sigh* nevermind… read on! :D**

**Okay people soooooo: LAST TIME ON THIS EPIC FANFIC, CALAYSEE SPOILED SOME SECRETS THAT KATNISS' BRAIN HAD WIPED OUT OF HER BRAIN (of course everyone knew these things **_**except**_** Katniss even though it was ya know… her little sister…)! WOO KATNISS WENT INSANE FOR A BIT! XD RORY WAS ALMOST CRYING AND I GOT UP TO 111 REVIEWS! NOW LET'S GET BACK TO THE ACTION! *people in crowd cheer* **

I stomp right up to him**(If you forgot "him" is gale…)** and punch him on his more than likely already broken nose. "What was that for?" He asks, stunned.

"For Primrose Everdeen." He just stares at me.

"A few seconds ago in front of a bunch of people you couldn't even remember her. Now you're blaming me for something that I have no idea what you are talking about. **(Calaysee: LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE)**" He blinks at me.

"I um… Calaysee told me that um…" I stutter but I look up at Gale's face. His gray eyes burn into me and I start to get agitated, uncomfortable under my own skin. I start shifting weight and am unable to finish my sentence. I slap him instead. And then I slap him again. And again. And again. And again. The worst thing was that I didn't feel anything when I thought of the name Primrose. All I felt was sadness and pain. Plus I wasn't getting much of a reaction from Gale. He let me do it to him as if… as if he was actually guilty about something. "Why aren't you telling me to stop? Why aren't you trying to stop me?" I stop slapping him for a second so I can ask him. He looks up, his hair falling in front of his eyes and he can't look at me in the eyes.

"Because I deserve it." He whispers. "I deserve every bleeping **(see I don't like swearing I just used those words out of lack of any words and they seemed like the right ones to use…)** thing that hurts me. Hurt me. Do it Catnip… I mean Katniss. I don't have the right to call you that. I don't have the right to be alive in the place of a 14 year old girl who was the younger sister of…" He looks up but doesn't meet my gaze. Instead, he looks just above my eyes. "Of… I'm not even sure who you are anymore to me. You mean a lot to me but…" He looks down again. "I don't deserve happiness. If anyone's the monster. It's me Katniss. It's _me._ I'm the one who should have a business card saying that I can be a monster." I start laughing. Gale gives me a funny look. "H—How is this funny?"

"Oh wait what? I was thinking of a dancing panda with a business card saying 'I will turn into a monster unless you feed me magical rainbow cupcakes'." **(OH NO SOMEONE OF MY RANDOMNESS HAS RUBBED OFF ON KATNISS! SOMEONE SAVE HER!)**Gale just stares at me. Then his lips turn up into a smile and then we're laughing our heads off.

"What is a panda anyway?" Gale asks in between laughing fits.

"I have no idea. I think it was an old type of mouse… I'm not sure. Paige told me about it to me once**(Anybody else think it's funny that Paige is smarter than Katniss, Gale and Peeta XD)**."

Gale rubs his cheek, "Man Katniss. I think you broke my cheek bone. What sort of slap was that?"

"I don't know… I'm sorry… I was just really angry… wait what were we talking about before that made me angry?" I look at him thoughtfully. He seemed genuinely hurt by something. "Hey… what's wrong?"

He looks up at me. His hair falls in front of his eyes. His fists clench. He grits his teeth. "Snares should never have been invented." He says simply. He looks down at his feet. "I can't… Katniss… She… she's dead… because…. Because…" He says the next part under his breath so low that I can't hear him.

Gale's POV

"She's dead because of me…" I say so quietly I can barely hear myself. I can't look at Katniss. I'm too ashamed at what I've done. _It was Coin's order though. _ A small voice pops into my thoughts **(otherwise known as me)**. _It wasn't your fault. You didn't know she was going to use the bomb to kill innocent people_. I turn around and head to the training room. I was a coward.

Katniss' POV

I'm left in the cafeteria with only my thoughts about the conversation. I slowly make my way into the training room after Gale. My hands were itching to get themselves onto a bow but I knew that was a bad idea. I take a deep breath and practice sprinting.

Throughout the rest of the day, I try to get some allies. I met two little girls named Sage and Jewels. They were good friends and were both from District 11. I smile at them and they agree to meet me up at the roof tonight. They were about 13 years old. I sigh and head back to recruiting more allies. I'm not sure why I'm doing this. It goes against _my_ plan but I guess I should at least help Haymitch, Peeta, Gale, Johanna, Beetee, Sivan and others stay alive. _Safety in numbers_. Yeah right. I guess having one other ally would help you but in the Hunger Games you wanted to stay silent and alive. Unless you're a career.

I lift up a weight that should be the right weight for me. I flip around a little too quickly and hit whoever was there with the weight. The body goes down to the floor. I squeak in surprise.

"Uh… I guess I deserved that." They moan. A shock goes down through my body. The voice belonged to Gale.

"Oh no! I'm sorry!" I quickly bend down by him.

"I just keep getting beaten up by you today don't I?" He looks up and flutters his eyelashes. "Whoa… when did you turn purple?" I look down at my own skin in a big of fear but it's still its regular olive skin tint.

"Um... Gale… My skin's not purple…" He flips around onto his back.

"Hey Prim!" He yells at the ceiling. Something buzzes in my brain. "I'm sorry!" Then he flips back around to his side and stares at me. He rubs his head. "Oww… I think I have tacker jackers in my skull…"

"I—I think I might have given you a concussion Gale."

"Hahaaaaa…" He starts laughing hysterically. Okay either he was drunk, on morphine or had a concussion. I hope it was the latter of the three.

"Gale stop laughing! You're going to hurt yourself." He stops and turns to me.

"Whatever you say, Cat."

"Gale… My name's not Cat. It's Katniss. You call me Catnip though." He looks at me then scrunches up his face.

"Why would you do this? It hurts." That's when I realize I'm scowling at him. I quickly relax my face muscles.

"Gale… hold on I'll go get some help." I'm reluctant to move away from him but I know the only way to help him would be to get some else. I didn't know how to heal concussions. I walk over to Paige who was hanging around the bow and arrow station while Rory was practicing his aim. He was pretty good and got the bull's eyes once and awhile. "Paige!" I call. She moves her eyes away from Rory and she has a slight blush on her face. _Wait did… Did Paige _like_ Rory?_ _I mean as a like like not as a friend… oh never mind… _"I think I gave Gale a concussion by accident… Do you know how to help get rid of them?" Paige sighs.

I hear Gale call out behind me saying, "LOOK AT ALL THOSE PRETTY STARS! HEY CAT! THAT ONE LOOKS LIKE YOU WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR FACE HURT!" I groan.

"See what I mean." I tell Paige, gesturing with one arm towards Gale.

"Okay, so first we have to ask him some simple questions to evaluate how bad the concussion is. Then we'll go from there." Paige starts walking over to Gale and I'm close behind, leaving Rory to continue practicing with the bow. Once we get close to where Gale is lying on the ground Paige bends down and asks in a soothingly quiet voice, "What's your name?"

"Uh.. Gale…"

"What's your last name?"

"Hawthorne."

"Where are you?"

"In the Capitol Hunger Games training place."

"What happened?"

"Cat over there hit me with something hard."

"It was an accident!" I protest. Gale starts laughing again. Paige gets up.

"It's not too bad. He's just a little out of it. If he does anything stupid don't hold it against him." I nod and Paige walks back to watch Rory practice. I help Gale up to his feet.

"Hey, big guy."

"Hey little girl."

"Let's go take a break okay?" I put his arm around my shoulders so I can help him walk over. He's almost tripping on his feet as we slowly make our way to the water station. I plop Gale down on a chair and hand him a glass of water. He tries to sip it but most of it misses his mouth. I sigh and take the glass from him. "Here let me help you." I push the cup against his lips and slowly force him to drink the water." I can't help myself and I start to blush. Once it's all gone, I take a napkin and cover it with cold water. Then I slowly lift up his hair that was covering his forehead and place it there. "There that should make you feel better. Just stay here and rest up okay?" Gale nods. He closes his eyes.

"I'm sorry Katniss…" He mumbles. I'm about to leave but his words stop me. "I'm sorry for every stupid thing I've done. I'm sorry for being so angry during the war. I'm sorry for not visiting or calling you for a year. I'm sorry for being a jerk. I'm sorry for all those rants I had. I'm sorry for not paying enough attention to you during the war. I was too busy fighting for you to actually talk to you and take care of you at the time. I was too busy caught up in that stupid stupid war. I'm sorry for being a coward. Worst of all, I'm sorry for killing you little sister. It eats at me every day. I was almost completely gone only a year later. Then you gave me some of your kindle and restarted my fire. I'm sorry." He continues to mumble I'm sorry before it fades away and he's fallen into a deep sleep. I walk away slowly, my mind and heart racing.

**I'M SORRY FOR ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! So I've sent in a Beta reader request just waiting for a response now! :D! My chapters might have less spelling and grammar mistakes soon! **

**Hey did you guys notice that in the last chapter I started three sentences with, "Ah". Isn't that weird. I didn't even mean to. Okay people… I'm going to go now. SEE YOU NEXT TIME I UPDATE! THANKS FOR READING AND CLICK THIS BLUE BUTTON RIGHT THERE!**

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**CLICK IT *gives death glare***


	35. Let The Battle For Hope Begin

**So people… HAI! :3**

**To Kara: Hahaha just wait! *grins evilly***

**And now… (wow short A/N… oh well…) CHAPTER 34!**

I cough awkwardly as everyone from District 12 file into the elevator. I was the first one in so now I'm squished up into the corner. Why Thistle Crane had to make there be more tributes I don't know. My mind is all used up and my body aches from training. I've been scanning my brain for any memories of Prim. I got something about Buttercup. Maybe that was her cat… That's why I didn't drown him… Gale was still a woozy from his concussion but he insisted that he come. I didn't protest. It would be best if he stayed alive. Maybe then I will be able to regain enough of my sanity to remember Prim when I die. I shrug. Peeta and Gale give me funny looks. Well Gale's been giving everyone weird looks. I'm not sure what to think about Gale's apology. Maybe it was just Gale being out of it. No… I remember Gale being a jerk during the war. I guess I didn't really blame him. It was what he had been dreaming of his entire life. I had my own problems back then too. Like Peeta being hijacked and having to be the Mockingjay.

When we get to the roof, I'm relieved to only see Haymitch, Effie, Plutarch, Portia (She had a complicated job of being the stylist for District 12 and being a tribute), Tigris and Flavius. Effie looked completely terrified. Probably afraid that she was going to have to deal without make up for a week or more. I walk away from the group and sit down, my back to them. I fold my arms and stare out into space.

"Katniss!" Plutarch yells. "You're part of the group too!" I sigh but don't move.

Thankfully I hear Peeta say to Plutarch, "She's had a rough day. Let her be grumpy."

"It can't be healthy!" Effie cries. Since when did she care about health? She wore more makeup then a clown. You could scrape it all off with a plaster knife if you wanted to. I tune them out. Why I came I don't know? Maybe because I just wanted to be up here. Or maybe because I have my own plans to figure out. There isn't much to figure out but find water and keep moving. Or maybe it was more complicated than that. I lie down on the bench and look up at the sky. I really wanted to see the stars. Maybe if there was a more physical familiar thing here it would be so bad, but the lights from the city blocked them out so I may never.

The next few training days went by quickly. I finally met Sivan. Apparently she and Peeta had some kind of backstory that I didn't know about because they both blushed slightly when they looked at each other. Gale had finally recovered from his concussion but I didn't bring up his outburst from the other day. Maybe it was best to leave it like that. I was sitting in the hallway outside of the training room with Paige. We were sitting there awkwardly in silence. I look over at her. She was playing with some rope. "Where'd you get that?" I ask her just to break the silence. She looks up and a soft blush appears on her cheeks.

"It's Rory's. He asked me to hold it for him." I give her a questioning look. If Rory wanted it protected from harm he should have just kept it himself… I mean Paige was going in there too. I don't think about it for to long.

"Wow you guys are really getting into this acting thing." I say. Paige looks down at the rope.

"Right… it's just acting…"She mumbles.

Once she gets called in I'm left awkwardly sitting on the bench waiting. I have no clue on what I'm going to do in there. I'll probably just shoot some bull eyes or something. My name is called on the speaker and I wipe away my jitters. It was just a session with my second worst enemy that was alive that will determine the amount of sponsors I get which can save me when I need something in the deadliest games ever created. No biggy right? Wrong. I walk into the room. It's completely silent. The Gamemakers are staring at me, their eyes never leaving me. I head for the bow station but a thought lights up in my head so when I pass the snares station I grab a roll of wire discreetly. I pick up a bow that is roughly my size. Then I take one arrow and head to climbing net that was up hanging from the ceiling. There should be a light bulb up there somewhere right? I put the bow on my shoulder and hold the arrow with my mouth as I start to climb, the roll of wire around my wrist. Once I get to the top I look back at the Gamemakers. I can tell I'm losing their interest. Then I look for the glittery square that meant there was a force field. Of course there was one. Let's see if it really was new and improved. I climb my way over to a light bulb and start to unscrew it. The Gamemakers have now started to pay almost no attention to me and are talking to each about politics or whatever. I take the end of the wire and wrap it around the light bulb holder. Hopefully I would get electrocuted doing this. Kids don't try this at home. After I know its securely fastened, I wrap the other end to the arrow. I slowly notch it in my bow, take aim, breathe in and on the exhale I let the arrow fly straight for the glittery square.

BOOM! The whole building shakes and the room starts to fill with smoke. I cough but just manage to yell out at them, "New and just as dumb? Yes. Indestructible? Nope." I climb down quickly and am seized by Peacekeepers by my arms. Well that was fast. I don't struggle against their arms as the smoke starts to clear and I'm able to see the damage that I have caused. The table and chairs where the Gamemakers were have been toppled over and a few chairs are dented. Otherwise the rest of the room is almost completely the same. Maybe their stupid force field made it so whatever made it explode would only affect the inside of the force field. Which would mean any way to blow up the arena would kill everyone inside. The light bulb electricity wasn't enough to throw the Gamemakers down and kill them but I was pretty sure I had broken some bones in all of the chaos. The peacekeepers kick me out and I walk to the elevator. I was proud of what I did. I took a risk and it worked. Gale, Peeta and Rory are at the door when I come up. Rory hugs me, Gale and Peeta start yelling at me, asking me if I was okay and what had happened.

"Whoa… please calm down so I can explain it… please?" They shut up as the three boys or should I say men since Rory was as tall as me now. The thought depresses me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it had something to do with the blonde haired, blue eyed girl with two braids. I sit down on the couch and Paige looks up from her magazine.

"What was that big boom we all heard?"

"My explosion." Gale and Peeta exchange looks. What was up with those two? Were they plotting something behind my back? **(ooo is that foreshadowing…?)** "I blew up the force field around the Gamemakers."

"Dude!" Rory exclaims and gives me a high five. "That's awesome." He smiles boyishly and I can see Paige blush as she sneaks glances at him.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Peeta yells at me.

"Hush you might wake up all those little monsters down in the streets. They 're probably not up yet." I glance at the clock. 11:47. Nope probably not. Peeta glares at me.

"Actually, I kind of agree with Peeta…" Gale mumbles. "You're already a big target and symbol of rebellion. Anymore and you might just put yourself in even more mortal danger." I glare at him.

_Who's side are you on?_ I mentally send to him with my eyes. **(Ooooeaaaaoooo… Katniss is an alien and can speak with her eyes XD no just kidding they just have an awesome bond and can speak with their eyes…) **Gale's eyes flash. I sigh. There was a time when I had to tell him to be careful about too much rebellion talk. Now it was the opposite way. When did that happen? "Can I tell you what I did before you all blow up on me?"**(haha get it? Blow up? Haha... Never mind..)** They nod. Paige says, "mmhm". "Well I grabbed the wire from the snare station and took a bow and an arrow. I climbed up the climbing net, took out a light bulb, attached the wire to the light bulb holder thing and the arrow. Shot the force field."

"That's it?" Gale gives me a disbelieving look. "There wasn't any rude comment attached at the end?" My face pales as I realize Gale knows me so well.

"And there she goes and pales. Yup there was definitely a rude comment." Peeta adds.

"All I said was, 'New and just as stupid? Yes. Indestructible? Nope.', there wasn't a lot of time to really say anything else."

Gale and Peeta smile. I think I liked them better when they weren't obsessing over my safety.

That night, everyone is in the living room area, watching the TV. Calaysee comes up first with an 11. Dixie got a 4. **(EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T LIKE DIXIE RAISE THEIaR HAND! *raises hand*)**Enobaria has an 8. Beetee has a 6. Johanna and her brothers all got 9s. Sivan got a 10. How did she do that? I look at Peeta. He doesn't budge. I shrug and look back at the screen. Rory gets a 9. I give him a high five. Paige and Rory smile at each other. Maybe they were taking this too seriously… Peeta gets an 11. I hug him. Gale glares. I laugh. Gale gets an 11 too. So far so good. Paige gets a 6. She starts laughing. We ask her why. "I thought I would get a 1 for sure." She answers. Tansy gets an 8. I'm not sure how and she doesn't tell us so I don't think for too long. I take Gale and Peeta's hands as they display my name.

Katniss Everdeen  
>District 12<p>

Score:

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**(IT WAS N/A BECAUSE IT WAS TOO AWESOME AND OUT OF RANGE! XD)**

12

I grip both of their hands hard. Calaysee was probably throwing a fit right now. She was supposed to be the best tribute out there but I go and break that again. I guess Thistle couldn't stand up to all the pressure from his co-workers, AKA. Co-beasts. Rory high fives me again. And I smile at him. Everyone hugs me except my mom who slips away into her room. Maybe there was a tiny hope. Oh who was I kidding. There was a huge big lighthouse out there shining its light. All we had to do was win the race there and we would win. We would have hope. The only thing stronger than fear. The only thing as strong as love. Hope. Let the battle begin.

**AND I HAVE UPDATED! WOO! You guys read PJatO? Then read this:**

** s/8257480/1/Half_Blood_Chat**

**I will be making one for HG as soon as this fanfic is done. .. well the first half. I'll just have to end it without an epilogue so I can take a break and do other fanfics then come back. GUYS I HAVE SO MANY MORE HG FANFICS DON'T WORRY! I need to write those too so I don't deprive the world of my beautiful dramatic fanfics. (XD well that's what you guys say… you say that you love it and for that I love you all.)**

**~Moss**


	36. Temporary

**Hey guys! Idk what to say here but respond to an Anonymous review (feel free to read their review… )**

**To anonymous: -_- Wth? Thanks for reading and stuff but that random outburst didn't help me except to learn that someone apparently has to use a bunch of swear words to express their hate for me even though we have never met in real life. You only told me you hated me. It didn't even bother me by the way because I know in life there will be millions of people that don't like me. I don't have to make every single person love me. Anyway back to what I was saying. You didn't tell me you hated my story or why you hated me. If you didn't like me why couldn't you say that to my face? I wouldn't be bothered by it. I'd just know to not get you angry cause you apparently hate my guts even though you didn't even tell me why. I don't care. Now I'm not going to track you down and beat you up or anything especially since I have horrible computer skills but also because I don't run around telling people I hate them. If I do hate someone. I just keep it to myself. How would you feel if I said I hated you? Hmm? Think about that.**

**To Kara (a person who is so much more awesome than the other anonymous reviewer…) Haha omg.. that's so funny. Nobody likes Calaysee except for me XD Well I mean I like Katniss more and stuff but I like Calaysee she's a good bad (is that an oxymoron…?)person. Mwahaha. Haha well it wasn't supposed to be a big surprise. But there will be some… hehe… **

**Sorry guys I just you know… there was a review and yeah… Okay onto chapter 35. :D . Oh no… I'm gonna start crying now because I have to write a Peeta X Katniss moment. Huff… time to get to work.**

I wake up in the morning at about 6:30. It was probably out of habit. When I walk out I discover that I'm not the first person to wake up. Peeta's sitting at the table staring down. I walk over and sit next to him. He looks up and throws me a smile. I smile back. I twitch in my seat because today was a day where we could do whatever we wanted. They gave us time to practice for our interviews but Peeta and I just had to tell the rest of the District 12 tributes what to do and we would be good… hopefully. I had something in mind but I wasn't sure if Peeta would want to. I had forgiven him by now. Well mostly, I haven't completely forgiven him for all the pain he made me feel. It was at the back of my mind now. I look at Peeta, my eyes shining in the morning light. "C- can we have a picnic today on the roof?" Peeta looks at me, his eyebrows rising.

"What?" My spirit drops. Peeta must have seen my eyes drop to the table so he starts stuttering. "I—I—I mean we can if you want to…" He trails off and I look up. He sheepishly smiles at me and I smile back warmly. I was in a good mood today. "We can go after everyone else wakes up." I nod and grab some Hot Chocolate.

Gale wakes up next. He walks into the room yawning. "What time is it…?" He asks under his breath, his voice still husky from sleep. His hair looked damp, from a recent shower which thank god hadn't sprayed him with different types of smells. I smile at him while Peeta tells him the time which is, 7:07. "Thanks…" Gale mumbles and sits down next to me. He grabs some sunny side up eggs and starts eating them. "So what's today all about?" Gale asks as he reaches for the organic blue raspberry juice.

"Uh well… If we had mentors and escorts we would be practicing for the interviews but… you guys don't really need help. Just some tips or something from Peeta." I explain. Gale nods and continues eating.

Once everyone wakes up, Tansy last, again. I glare at her slightly while Peeta starts giving tips to people. Paige smiles and acts sweetly and Peeta gives her a thumb up. Rory just sits there giving Peeta a hard glare. I'm not sure what to think of it. Paige's eyes brighten and she blushes slightly so I guess it works. Gale just shrugs and says he'll wing it. I give him a glare. Peeta already knows exactly what he's going to do. The same thing he did the last two times. Me? I have no clue. Tansy? She just stares blankly at the table. Gale gets up and heads to the couch. He lies down and doesn't pay much attention to anyone. It must be one of his thinking times. Maybe he isn't winging it after all. I smirk as I turn my attention to Paige and Rory. They were in deep conversation. Paige smiling as Rory went on and on about something. I look at Peeta. He smiles and we sneak our way out to the elevator.

Once we're up on the roof and all set up with a blanket and food that the Avoxes gave us, Peeta lies down and I stare at him. Right now with him not talking and barely moving, I don't feel all the pain and suffering he put me through. All I can feel is a small warm feeling in my stomach. It doesn't spread like it used to do… or while I was only half aware of what I was saying when I was with Gale. I mean… I was on a boat load of morphing back then. I sigh. Peeta turns his head and looks at me. "Our lives suck don't they?" I blink at him, startles by his outburst. He sighs and turns his head back to the sky. Peeta closes his eyes. I smirk as I grab a grape from our pile of food and throw it at Peeta. It hits his nose before it bounces onto the other side of his head. Peeta opens one eye and says, "What was that?" Before he can react another grape has hit his cheek. Peeta turns his head and looks at me. He gives me a glare but I know it's not really one that he means. Peeta sits up and crawls over to our food. He picks up another bunch of grapes. He raises one eyebrow. I nod slightly. I get plummeted by grapes as I throw some back in Peeta's direction. My lips twitch into a smile and soon Peeta's laughing. I join him after a bit. I run out of grapes first and so I'm defenseless as Peeta's grape hit then bounce off of me. I leap towards him because we have just wasted two bunches of grapes and I didn't want to waste more. I push him so he falls on the ground. He is stunned for a second before he laughs and pulls me down next to me. I laugh a little. For the first time in a while we weren't very tense towards each other. I close my eyes. I feel someone's eyes look at me. They weren't like Calaysee's hard and icy glares though. This one was warm and soft. I open one eye and catch Peeta looking at me from the corner of his eye. I close my eye again just as Peeta averts his eyes to the sky. It was nice and quiet just lying there. I feel something brush my hand. I open my eyes and turn my head towards Peeta. He was on his side staring at me thoughtfully. I raise an eyebrow at him. He sighs. "I'm an idiot" is all he mutters though. We don't speak for the next 30 minutes. We just sit there and take comfort in being next to each other. For the first time in a while I feel safe. I take comfort in that thought but of course it's only temporary. Soon, I'll be in an arena with no way out. I sigh and close my eyes as sleep starts to lure me in. Temporary. That's what my life is.

**WOO SORRY I WENT MIA! I WAS REALLY BUSY AND YEAH!**

**I drew the map for the arena… one word… amazing. It's so cool. WOO! Okay guys bye! **


	37. Capitol Made Muttation

**HEY PEOPLE! I'M GIVING YOU ALL COOKIES! (::) (::) WOO! OKAY TIME TO REPLY TO ANONYMOUS REVIEWS!**

**To tara: Okay… I love you… you are awesome… thank you for making sure I'm not scarred from writing a Peeta X Katniss moment… I think I'm going to be okay now… hold on… wait… okay now I'm good. GREAT RAINBOW UNICORN! OMG THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN AWESOME UNICORN! xD okay… my randomness has popped up and it's really late so I don't know why it popped up… meh… anyway… AWW REALLY ITS HILARIOUS AND GOOD! :D *hugs* Oh wow… people actually read my replies to anonymous reviewers… O.o…. Anyway… AWW I LOVE YOU TOO! :D *takes cookie* cookies fix everything! THANK YOU! Haha it's okay to be random… I AM ALL THE TIME! HEHE! I think my friends hate me sometimes because I just start splurting out random things and when I talk to cleverbot I'm just like *slap* because he's so annoying and then I'm like OMG IM SORRY! HERE HAVE A UNICORN! And then I get angry again so yeah… yep… okay that was a very random reply… woo… go randomness**

**HEY GUYS! … MY B-DAY'S IN A MONTH IN A MONTH! MY B-DAY'S IN A MONTH, IN A MONTH! I'M SO EXCITED! :D And I got into a creative writing summer camp so maybe my fanfic will get much much better. :D have you guys read Seasons of Wither by Vernie? It's really good. *takes deep breath* OKAY GUYS THIS CHAPTER I'VE HAD WRITTEN FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS! I LOVE THIS CHAPTER! INTERVIEW TIME! :D or did you guys want to ask them questions… oh never mind… you can do that for the victor… if there is a victor… MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH *lighting flashes, thunder sounds* HAHAHA *coughs and spultters* okay guys… enough mwahahaha –ing its time to write Moss… CONCENTRATE! But I can't… YOU HAVE TO! BUT YOUTUBE IS SO TEMPTING! GUYS I'M IN INNER TURMOIL! … D:**

I sigh as I sit down. Portia had hurriedly handed me a glittery red dress. It landed above my knees carefully and it was a very snug fit. Well… I'm not going to tell you how I felt about the dress because there were not enough words in the English language to describe what I felt. Let's just say I missed Cinna terribly.

I was sitting down in the front row with all the other tributes. We were waiting for the interviews to start. Calaysee would be going first. I look at everyone. They were all looking a little pale and uneasy. Nervous twitches and an awkward silence filled my surroundings. Unless, you went back to where the Capitol people were. They were cheering their hearts out. The cheering dies down as the countries' anthem starts to play. Once it's over people start roaring again because Cesear Flickerman has walked out and is waving and smiling and being more charismatic than I could ever be. I mean, a wise old drunk once told me that I had as much charm as a dead slug.

"Thank you! Now would you all quiet down so we could actually hear the tribute's responses?" The crowd erupts in laughter. Personally, I didn't understand what was so funny. Soon though, the Capitol residents quiet down and the interview with Calaysee begins.

"Calaysee! So good to meet you!" Cesear exclaims.

"Good to see you too, Cesear. I have to say, I've always loved watching the Hunger Games interviews. You're truly a great interviewer!" Calaysee compliments him. I glare at her. Sure, I was the one who was lying all the time. Look at yourself in the mirror sometimes, hypocrite. Cesear, though, is smiling, he turns to the crowd and says.

"Hear that people? I got a fan sitting right in front of me! Three cheers for Calaysee!" The crowd goes wild. I sigh. Why were people so stupid sometimes? The interview goes on and Calaysee continues to be a hypocrite. Lying on an every single answer. Saying she never believed what her mother was fighting for. Then comes this question.

"Well, I'm sure everyone in the crows was wondering, why do you seem to be so cold towards Katniss? Sure she started another… _brief_… rebellion but you have to admit. She has a cute love story? Fighting in the name of love?" Oh God… This is going to be Cesear's last year as interviewer… unless his corpse has enough charm to win over the Capitol like the living Cesear can.

Calaysee snorts. "Ah, Katniss. That weakling. She killed my mother to just keep running away from problems. All she does is _run_." I grit my teeth and clench my hands into fists. I take a deep breath and zone out for the rest of the interviews 'till I hear my own name.

"Katniss Everdeen! The girl who lit Panem on fire!" Cesear welcomes me as I walk up the steps.

"Haha, so _that's_ my new nickname is it?" Cesear smiles. Maybe I was getting better at this.

"Have a seat, please!" Cesaer says politely. I sit down. "Katniss… why did you start a rebellion?" I wince for a second but recover quickly.

"Honestly?" I ask Cesear. He nods. I sigh. "I have no idea. I was just dragged into the whole mess during the Quarter Quell. _Nobody listen_ed to me when I was in District 13. They just _kept_ pressuring me into the _Mockingjay position_. They were losing _hope_. All their children died. But they died _in the name of_ sacrifice. They were a lost cause I guess. I sincerely apologize to _Panem_." Cesear nods solemly.

"Maybe a break for them would be good sometimes? After all, people have to be rebellious once and a while." I send a silent prayer that Panem noticed the true message behind my words. "So Katniss, what are your feelings on getting reaped with your cousins?" At first I'm a little confused on what he's asking but then realize he's referring to Rory and Gale.

"First of all. They aren't my cousins." People in the crowd gasp in shock. I'm about to say more but Ceaser stops me.

"Mind if I cut in Katniss?"

"Go ahead!" _Yes I do mind, Mr. Must-Interrupt-Me._

"What is Gale to you then?"

"A Best Friend."

"Really?" Ceaser gives me a disbelieving look.

"Just a Best friend. And it breaks my heart to have to return into these Games to kill my only Best friend. But I know I'll come home as a victor for him and Peeta."

"You're so sure you're going to win. Why?"

I smirk, "Because this year," I turn my head to look right at Calaysee, "The tributes are even more stupide than ever. Especially that icy Calaysee down there. She just misses her mommy."

"KEEP LYING KATNISS AND I'LL THROW YOU BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!" Calaysee shouts at me. I hear some "ouch", "burn" and "ooo"s echo through the crowd.

"Yes well that seems like an actual threat because my mother will literally rip me to shreds if I so much glance at her. So I guess you're letting someone else do your dirty work. Huh, Calaysee? You a chicken like your mother?" Nobody attempts to stop us when we both rise from our seats and glare at each other.

"Unfortunately, I got my FATHER's genes."

"Not by the look of things. Calaysee, I think you have a wrinkle, right, uh, there." I'm not even sure why I'm acting this way. More than likely the need for sponsors has overpowered my antisocial nature. Calaysee pushes past the Peacekeepers and still nobody moves. A second later she's staring eye to eye with me. I can already tell this won't be a typical fight between two girls or what some people call a "cat fight". We were both highly trained survivalist. One was from the woods outside of District 12 and one was from extra training classes that Thistle Crane gave her. Fire Vs. Ice

"And it all starts now, Liar." A second later I see a well-manicured fist coming straight for me. I duck and kick Calaysee's feet out from underneath her. I put my fists up in front of my face and watch as Calaysee struggles to her feet. I kick her again. People cheer in the crowd as Calaysee falls down again. I freeze as I watch, in slow motion, Calaysee slowly turning to look up at me. Her jaw was covered in blood and her pupils were dilated. And then I'm horribly disgusted by what I have done. I have no idea what had come over me. Maybe it's my overwhelming need to survive but I doubt it. Instead, this is what I think.

_I'm a monster. Look at what I've become. The Capitol has finally broken me and turned me into a monster. A frikin' monster. I've broken another promise I made to myself. To not let these people rule me but here I am letting them make the decisions for me…. I'm a capitol made muttation._

**KATNISS NOOOO! And… we've lost her. Oh her poor messed up mind? But will a certain handsome gray eyed, black haired, olive skinned, best friend help her get better? *waggles eyebrows* okay that was weird. I'm sorry. GUYSSSS! I LOVE WRITING THE INTERVIEWS! I WANT TO WRITE MORE BUT THERE'S THIS BIG THUNDERSTORM AND THERE'S LIKE LIGHTING RIGHT OUTSIDE AND AHHH I'M FREAKING OUT! O_O but anyway… (::) (::) MORE COOKIES! BYE!**

**~Moss**


	38. As Bright As the Sun

**To guest: REALLY? YOU'RE ADDICTED? THAT'S AWESOME! I'M ADDICTED TO WRITING IT! :D HI5! Here you can have a cookie (::). Anyway, well… I'm not sure if I'm going to finish it soon. I was planning for only 40 chapters but now…. Huff… It's already chapter 37. This is not good…. Um… well… I guess it is… wait…. How long have I had this story up for… hold on one sec… OMG 4 MONTHS! PEOPLE THIS STORY IS 4 MONTHS OLD! O.O okay anyway, it should be finishing a little later after the Hunger Games are done… if they finish… but then I have to start writing the sequel/ continuation of the story after the epilogue. Okay but anyway, thanks for reading!**

**To Tara: Haha! It's okay… I usually out random a lot of people… :P Well every one of your reviews makes me feel awesome sooo I guess we're even now. :P AND I WILL TAKE A BOW! *bows* THANK YOU EVERYBODY AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT! ( XD *facepalm* what am I doing? I think I've embarrassed myself a lot here on fanfic :P *sigh*) OH YEAH! HERE HAVE ANOTHER COOKIE FOR REMEMBERING THAT! (::) really? I made cookies yesterday. That's probably why I'm in a cookie mood. Yum chocolate. Yummy warm and gooey and soft and yummy and EEK STOP IT MOSS! *slaps self* noooo its just random parenthesis and this stuff, ::, I don't know what it's called… I'LL GO GET MYSELF A COOKIE NOW AND SAY ITS FROM YOU! :D Yes, yes, it did deserve the real thing… xD… YES TELL THE WORLD YOU AREN'T REALTED TO GALE! AND MAGICALLY CALAYSEE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ALL THE LIES KATNISS SAID! Okay… its official… I'm the only person in the world who likes Calaysee. People, don't name your kid Calaysee, they will get bullied for having such a pretty name but named after such an evil person. OMG DO YOU READ MINDS? O.O okay… no… never mind… I never said that Gale and Katniss would kiss on live TV during the Hunger Games…. OR DID I? MWAHAHA AND I THINK IM SCARING EVERYONE RIGHT NOW! I CONFUSED MYSELF COMPLETELY THOUGH. Haha and it got a very long reply! :) Ohhhh yeah…. I guess it isn't for everyone but I found it really good. It's so sweet. GALENISS :D**

**TIME TO GET TO WORK NOW! **

I run away from my position from Calaysee and hurry back to my seat. I'm hunched over, not daring to look up and meet the eyes of the other tributes. I hear some footsteps carry Calaysee down.

"Well… that was quiet a… show." Cesear says. For the first time in the long time he looks like he doesn't know what to say. "Unfortunately… our time seems to be up. Thank you Katniss." I nod.

"Bye Cesear…" I get up, quickly run down the steps and sit down next to Paige and Rory. Paige and my mom had already gone but I didn't hear what they had said. I was too busy being bored.

"Rory Hawthorne!" Cesear Flickerman calls and Rory jumps up out of his seat and rushes up the steps. Yep, he was nervous. I don't pay much attention to Rory's interview either but the occasional, "Aww" seeps out of the crowd so I guess he's working the crowd. Just, like, his, brother. I grit my teeth as I remember. Wait, why was I still jealous of them? Most of them were dead anyway… I shake my head and try to focus on my red heels. "Rory! You have to have some special someone back home right? Even in these dark times, love will always shine brightest." Wrong, hope will. Rory looks around nervously. Then he stares right at me. He gives me a pleading look. I sigh and keep making signals for him to say Paige. He doesn't get it.

"Uh… well… truthfully, Katniss' little sister. Unfortunately, she had to be blown up during the rebellion." I blink. What? Rory was in love with my little sister. I didn't have a little sister? Did I? What did Rory talk about when we were in the forest together? Something about… true love?

"Ironic much?" Cesear says. "The girl creates a rebellion and her little sister dies because of it." I'm very confused now. "But after a year you must have moved on right?" Rory sighs.

"I'm not sure I have but, there is one person that I have my eye on but… I don't know." He sighs and looks down at the ground. Paige is staring wide eyed in horror at Rory now.

"You mind if you tell us who?"

This makes Rory snap. Cesear has just chosen the wrong string to cut and Rory is going to explode. "YES I DO MIND! YOU THINK WE LIKE GOING TO THESE STUPID GAMES? ALL WE DO IS WASTE LIVES! IT ISN'T IN THE NAME OF SACRIFICE TO DIE IN THE HUNGER GAMES! IT'S TORTURE!" Rory has gotten up now and is staring pleadingly at the crowd. "One of you must understand what I'm saying right? You have to realize that all of this is wrong." Rory stares straight at Paige. "I would tell you who it is, but right now in front of everyone would not be very romantic would it?" I sigh. He was way too much like Gale. I lean across and nudge Gale.

"Looks like I'm seeing double."

"Oh shut up…" Gale mutters... I grin and sit back up straight in my seat. Rory stomps off the stage, leaving Cesear speechless for the second time tonight.

"Well… this has been a… um... interesting… night. Next up, Gale Hawthorne!" Gale gets up and walks up the stage.

"Hey Cesear." I could tell he was trying to force the coldness out of his voice. I sigh; maybe the old Gale was still in there somewhere.

"Gale! So nice to finally meet you! We've heard so much about you." I see Gale clench his fists. Cesear gestures toward the chair so Gale sits. "So you're really not Katniss' cousin?" Gale snorts.

"Nope. Far from it. Well… Katniss' family was basically a second family for all of siblings and my mother. We were really close. So I guess we could kinda be cousins… I'm not sure. It's been exceptionally complicated these days. Katniss can't remember what I did during the rebellion. I told her but her mind is a complete blank." I grit my teeth. Why were they talking about me?

"Can you tell us what you did, Gale?" Gale's shoulders slump.

"Sure…" He mutters. "I saved Peeta from the torture Snow put him through. Then, I saved her sister when she went back to get her cat. Then I let her see the destroyed District 12. I made excuses for her when she didn't show up for meetings. But… the one thing she really can't remember… maybe it's something she shouldn't know… but that would be extremely selfish of me." Gale takes a deep breath. "During the rebellion I was creating a bomb with Beetee. Beetee doing all the technical stuff, like math and science of the bomb, I created the basic design, using my extensive knowledge of snares. You heard what Rory said right… well you can make the connections." I blink my eyes, no emotion shows on my face. I don't know exactly what we're talking about. Something about a little sister? Tansy has started crying.

"YOU STUPID BOY!" She yells. "I know it wasn't your bomb but you basically just said it was. Just look at your precious little Catnip over there. She's a complete blank but if you tell her that, when she finally clears up the block in her mind, which she will, she's going to automatically hate you! And you know the damage Katniss can do. Us two the most." Gale's face falls. I stand up, turn towards Tansy.

"So you're protecting a boy that isn't even your son? You can't even look at your daughter? What's up with that? That's all, _Tansy_." **(KATNISS STOP BEING SO MEAN! Huff…)** I say coldly. I sit back down. I sit hunched up for the rest of the time.

Cesear raises his hand like a little kid in class. Gale nods to him. "First, who is Catnip?"

"Oh…" Gale smiles sheepishly at nothing particular, probably looking back at the flashback. I remember back then I was fighting for someone's life. Who was it? My own? My mother's? No, I didn't care that much about my mother back then… WHO WAS IT? "When Katniss and I had first met she had said her name so softly that all I had heard was Catnip. Then this crazy cat started following her around town so I just started calling her that."

"Second, you created a bomb that killed Katniss' little sister?"

"… Well that was never proven… yes I made a bomb but nobody ever figured out who created the bomb that killed her. But Katniss when her mind was still very clear blamed me right away… I've just taken the blame. THANKS A LOT BEETEE!" He answers then yells at Beetee who waves his hands up in surrender. The crowd laughs. They were _laughing_ when we were talking about death…? What?

"Third, how did you and Katniss meet?"

He smiles. He better make something up. "That was both the worst and the best day in my life. It was the day of my dad's funeral. Katniss' and my dad died in the same mine explosion. Katniss was just 12 back then. Me being 14. Rory being 8. Rory and Prim, Katniss' little sister, instantly clicked. There was like a whoosh and the atmosphere of the room changed. I met Katniss at almost the exact time Rory met Prim."

"Wait, wait!" Cesear holds up his hand in the universal sign to stop. "Rory said he was in love with Prim, does that mean you were or still are in love with Katniss?

"Now _that_ is a question I was hoping I would not have to answer but… truthfully… probably." He looks at Peeta. Peeta smiles and nods. What? Oh right, my stupid plan to make there be a love triangle. Even I forgot about it.

"Probably what?"

"Oh seriously?" He places his hands on his temple like he has a headache. "You guys are so evil." The crowd laughs again. I scowl because they were laughing at something that wasn't meant to be funny. "Yeah… I still love her… I so want to kill you all right now…" There was a hidden message behind that. He would kill every single of them there right now, except for innocent children cause then he would be just as bad as everyone else, but he would kill everyone there if he could. The crowd didn't see it though. They didn't know Gale like me. They just laugh and "aww". "Should I continue the story about how Katniss and I met?" The crowd cheers. Gale forces a smile. "Okay well when I met Katniss she said her name really softly, I told you that right? Well, we basically clicked. Okay… I have a confession. I thought she was really pretty." I blush. "I still do… but ya know what… I'm happy for her. Peeta's a great guy! Maybe we could have even become good friends, Peeta and I,… I guess it's a little late now. Plus I've tried really hard to hate him but I mean… he's kinda hard to hate."

"Thank you so much Gale! But time's up now."

Peeta's interview was perfect just like always. The crowd loved him. I scowl most of the time. Why did he have to have so much charm? They didn't even mention me. Peeta was so smart that he was able to steer Cesear's questions away from me. I was thankful. I didn't want to feel even more exposed then I already was. The only other thing that caught my attention was when Haymitch was obviously drunk and yelled, "I'M NOT FROM THE CAPITOL!" and fell of the stage.

When the interviews were over and everyone was in the room, Peeta says, "WE DID AN AWESOME JOB DIDN'T WE?" He does a fist pump and high fives everyone. I stand there confused.

"What…?

"Oh right… you didn't pay any attention when we all came up with a plan with Haymitch and everyone."

"Oh… Night." I wave good bye and quickly run away from everyone to my room.

"Now that was strange…" Gale mutters.

I'm lying down, in random clothes that I grabbed that looked semi-normal, when Gale walks in. "Catnip?"

I turn away from him and say, "Leave me alone."

I could almost feel Gale's smirk. "I _knew_ something was wrong." I feel the weight on the bed shift as Gale sits down. "So… what's wrong?"

"You should know."

"Actually I don't, Catnip. It's kinda hard to read your emotions."

"Well…" I pull my arms around myself. "I feel really exposed…" I mutter.

"Ahh… Don't worry Catnip. I feel guiltier and more exposed than you do. I was the one saying all of that. Plus you mother just had that outburst that made me feel pretty much like an open book for everyone to read."

"She isn't my mom. Her name is Tansy and I have never met her in my life."

"Stop lying and accept the truth. Hey, at least your dad isn't Snow. Now that would be something to be sad about. Or Coin. Poor Calaysee." He freezes as he realizes what he just said. "Wait, no, I mean, I don't feel sorry that she hurt you or anything but living with Coin must have been hard ya know? Maybe she isn't all complete ice." I turn around to face him.

"You noticed too?"

"Noticed what?"

"That she might actually have a heart and that she seems like the exact personification of a blizzard?" Gale smiles.

"Yep…" Gale says. I sigh.

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep…"

"I know, right?"

"Gale…?"

"Hmm..?"

"Don't leave me…"

"I'm not going anywhere Catnip."

"No I mean don't die. I won't let you die. You will not leave this world before me. You will not leave me alone in this world without a flashlight."

"What… so you need a flashlight?"

"No!"

"You need someone to guide you… isn't that Peeta? I mean he kinda looks like a flashlight that is running out of batteries. You know… with his hair and everything." I laugh as Gale grins like an idiot.

"That's not nice Gale."

"Yeah but he isn't here. And I'm pretty sure you won't tell him I said that?"

"How can you be so sure?"

He leans in close to my face. His breath is warm and he still smells like the woods. Like I said a while back, the woods had left an imprint on both me and Gale. A tiny piece of both of us had been traded for a piece of the woods in ourselves. If the woods were destroyed, so would Gale and I. "Because you have a heart." He places his hand on my heart. Well, where most people think the heart is.

"Gale that's not where the heart actually is…"

"What?"

"It's right…" I take his hand and push it down and to the middle of my chest more, to where Tansy had told me the heart actually was. "there…"

"Look at you ruining the mood with all the medical stuff your mother; wait no _Tansy_, taught you." I smile. "Continuing with my heartfelt moment. You have a heart made out of fire. Unlike Calaysee, you have a heart that burns like the sun. Her's is frozen and hard like the moon. Actually, I'm not actually sure she has a heart… she is a pretty heartless person…"

"No Gale. She has a heart. One) she's alive and breathing so she kinda has to have a heart and two) she loves her mother. The whole reason why she's doing this I because I killed her mom. She had to love her mother a lot to do all of this. I don't actually remember why I killed Coin… but anyway, she may be pretty cold but I guess in her position I probably would have done the same thing. Well… if Tansy and I were close."

"So you admit that Tansy is your mother."

"Gale! That wasn't the point!"

"I know, I know."

"We keep ruining heartfelt moments don't we?" Gale laughs.

"That's one thing we have in common. We ruin beautiful moments."

"Name another thing."

"We both burn as bright as the sun. We both have strong heated fires inside of us that will not go out. Even when the world keeps trying to put us out. Even in the darkest moments of our lives. We will not be defeated." I think back to when I had seen Gale again since after the war. His fire was so close to be put out. I had saved him. I sigh. "We're natural born rebellion leaders." We are both quiet for a few minutes.

"Gale…please… please don't leave…"

"Not going anywhere, Catnip."

"Gale… I need your fire… I need a flashlight."

"Go get Peeta."

"I'm serious! I mean… your fire could be a torch right?"

Gale shrugs. "I guess."

"Then I need it."

"What? Then I'd be dead. You have enough of your own fire."

"Gale stop being so cocky." Gale is silent. "You know what I mean… Don't leave me."

"Okay."

"Swear to me on everyone you love lives'."

"That means I would be swearing on your life too Catnip."

"Ugh! Just… stop please? You know what I mean." Gale smirks but sighs.

"Okay catnip… fine…" Then he mutters, "Someone's bossy today." I pretend not to hear him but it gets me annoyed. "I swear on everyone I love lives except for Katniss' that I will not leave Katniss without giving her a flashlight otherwise known as a torch or something like that… You good now?"

"Yeah… one more thing…" Gale moans. "Stay here. Sleep down there." I point to the ground next to my bed.

"What, so now I'm a dog."

"No, I'm giving you a pillow and a blanket. Now go be a good boy and sleep on the ground." I hand him a pillow and a blanket.

"I swear I feel like I'm a dog…" Gale whispers, once he's on the ground in sleeping position.

"Good Gale." Gale moans. "Be quiet."

"I'm so making you dress up as a dog if we ever get out of this mess."

"Well then, we better not die right?"

"Right."

"Night, Gale. You're such a cute dog."

"Oh shut up."

I fall asleep that night with a smile on my face and surprisingly… no nightmares intruded my sleep.

**AWW LOOK AT THE LITTLE GALE DOG! *pats gale on head* **

**Gale: Leave me alone… **

**:D I LOVE YOU GALE!**

**Gale: -_- that's nice…**

**OKAY GUYS WASN'T THIS SUCH A NICE CHAPTER! IT WAS SO LONG! ITS LIKE 8 PAGES LONG ON THIS WORD DOC I'M WRITING ON RIGHT NOW! R&R please? Thanks! You guys are all awesome. Love ya all. (I refuse to say y'all even though I live in the south during the summer. I don't know why… I just don't want to turn into some southern person… I'M MEANT FOR THE COLD PEOPLE! :D) okay guys… *hugs* This was so fun to write… Katniss will have to wear a dog costume if they get out of the Hunger Games alive. Well, that's something we would all love to see right? Well… I don't know if we will.. what if they're stuck in that arena for like… forever… OMG THAT WOULD BE SCARY O.o. Plus then you guys would all kill me… yep… Okay bye! Isn't paige and rory cute. I mean I still love Prory… OMG IT COULD STILL BE PRORY! :D WOO! I DIDN'T EVEN PLAN IT THAT WAY! Rory must have a thing for girl's with the name's that start with 'P'. WATCH OUT GIRLS WITH NAME LIKE PENELOPE OR SOMETHING! Wait.. can something be a name…? O.o… NOW I'M JUST RAMBLING! YOU GUYS WANT ME TO SHUT UP RIGHT? OKAY! BYE! ALL THESE COOKIES WILL MAKE YOU DISTRACTED AND HYPNOTIZED BY ME!**

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**YOU ARE UNDER MY SPELL**

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**Click the blue button right there and tell me why you love this story. Then you will no longer be under this spell. No seriously… tell me why you love this WHOLE story. Not just this chapter. I'm curious. **

**\/**


	39. Let the Games Begin

**To Tara: haha ikr! Cookies can be hypnotizing. WOO! THAT MAKES ME FEEL AWESOME (and I need it because this person named Trapped In Narnia, who is this amazing author, let me read part of her thing and now I'm just like… shit… how am I going to make it in this world as an author with people like her around…) Well… I can't just write fluff. That's boring for me. I mean.., writing one fluff after another gets super annoying. Y a know what I mean? Haha I know how you feel. I get so annoyed at those authors who never update. Nooo you can be random. (by the way I'm writing this at 1 am so I'm kinda tired so not as random and awake) SEE WHAT I TOLD YOU? I MEAN LIKE! WHY ARE PEOPLE WASTING THEIR TIME WITH THIS FANFIC THAT'S LIKE TERRIBLE (don't say a word TGBW) WHEN THEY SHOULD BE READING SEASONS OF WITHER! I MEAN ITS WAY BETTER THAN MINE! Oh haha yeah… I think EVERYONE is worried for Katniss' mental health. Haha its okay I thought that too then I literally slapped myself. Enjoy the chapter. :)**

**To Kara (WHOA MY TWO ANONYMOUS REVIEW PEOPLE'S NAMES RHYME O.O!): haha yeah. :P Gale as a dog? Hm… a golden retriever maybe… a type of hunting dog? I think Gale isn't as evil looking as a Rottweiler so not that (plus they go crazy age 7 and up… XD)… yeah maybe a husky. Idk! They're so many dogs that could be Gale. Hahaha yeah… I think everyone liked that (except Katniss because she lost her mind for a few seconds and Calaysee because you know… she was beaten up by Katniss….) :D **

**Okay guys… hi… Trapped In Narnia is an awesome author who made me feel like a stupid one… (I still love you though. I mean… you actually pronounced my name right on the first try and you aren't even Italian.) Plus they said they would love to beta this story once she has caught up with all the chapters :) Anyway… yep… Its really late but I can't sleep sooo yeah… here I am writing… GUYSSS THIS IS SO MUCH LONGER THAN I PLANNED IT TO BE! I already wrote most of the epilogue! *grins* do you guys want to see the arena map? I can scan it and post it somewhere and give you guys the link if you want… okay… im going to start writing now.**

I move the pillow on top of my head not wanting to get up. I groan as Gale pulls away the pillow and throws it at me.

"Get up, Catnip."

"Noooo…."

"Yeeeessss!" I open my eyes and stare at Gale.

"You actually stayed and slept on the ground?" Gale shrugs.

"I don't break promises, Catnip." And that's how he lost me in the first place. His loyalty to promises made him stay right where he was standing instead of volunteering for Peeta. Wait a second, why did I volunteer to go to the Hunger Games in the first place? I mean I wasn't a career or anything… I search my brain for anything but the only thing that comes up is the nameless girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. "Catnip? We actually have to get up now." I moan but push myself up into a sitting position.

"You can sneak across the hall now to your room to take a shower." I say, still half asleep.

"Okay….Not sure why taking a shower is on your mind. I mean we're going to get super dirty in the arena…"

"Gale, go take a shower."

" 'Kay!" Gale says flutter his eyes. I smile and shake my head back and forth.

"Gale, nobody acts like that." Gale snorts.

"Right. Sure. Tell that to the 50 plus girls back in District 12. The stupid ones that thought I would just fall in love with them because they were 'hot'." Gale starts moving to the door. He takes the door knob but before he opens the door he says, "I'm still expecting you to dress up in a dog costume you know that right?" Before I can protest or respond he's out the door and closing it behind him. I sigh and get up to take a shower.

When I come out with a random pair of clothing I grab a big breakfast and eat it slowly, savoring every bite. Peeta was already out and just staring at his coffee. Gale was eating slowly too. Paige comes out next, smiling like an idiot. "Paige you aren't supposed to be happy that we get to go to the Hunger Games."

"I'm not."

"Then stop smiling." I grumble and continue eating.

"I swear you can see the resemblance between her and Haymitch" Peeta mutters to Gale. Gale looks up and stares at me.

"Hmm… yep. Let's just hope she doesn't turn into an alcoholic too. I'm not sure I would want to meet that Katniss. And I've seen almost every ugly side of Catnip." I look up and glare. "Catnip! You aren't related to Haymitch are you?"

"No, you idiots. I would kill myself if I was related to him."

Peeta and Gale share a look before Peeta says, "I think we just found Katniss' weakness over there."

"Yep." Gale smirks and I stare wide eyed at the two.

"What? What are guys even planning? I mean seriously? I'm confused." Gale pats my back.

"It's okay Catnip. You're always confused." My face scrunches up into a scowl. "Hey! Stop hurting your face!"

"What? You actually remembered that?"

"Of course I do, Catnip. I was aware but I didn't have control over what I was doing." Gale shrugs and turns back to his food. So that means, he knew he said sorry. I knew he was sorry about being a jerk but the other stuff he said sorry about I was still confused about. Wow, guess Gale was right. I _am_ always confused these days.

The wind was blowing everywhere as everyone slowly made their way to the hovercraft that would be the last place we saw each other. I look at Gale. He nods and takes a step closer to me. "Happy Hunger Games and may the odds," He says in a capitol accent.

I'm startled for a second, hesitate then finish it for him, "be _ever_ in your favour!" Gale smiles sadly as he lets me take the first step onto the hovercraft.

When we landed we were directed to our rooms where our tubes were. I sit on the table sadly. I was waiting for Portia to finish with everyone else. I was anxious. Maybe I could somehow escape? No, I doubt it. Plus if I even made it out they would have to pick someone else. And then I wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. Suddenly, Portia bursts into the room hands me a jacket, my mockingjay pin and then leaves just as quickly as she entered. I put my jacket on, secure the pin on the jacket then step towards the tube. The room beeps as it says 30 seconds to launch. I step onto the platform and the tube seals behind me. At first panic explodes into my body. But slowly I start to relax as the room beeps and says 20 seconds. I take a deep breath and get prepared for the platform to start moving upward. When the room beeps and says 10 seconds the platform starts moving but not upward. It was moving _downward._ The room soon disappears as I see dirt and random pieces of metal appear. I'm completely in darkness for a few seconds. And the my eyes are flooded with light so I have to squint. I was now in the arena. A big object was in the middle of the room, the cornucopia. I look behind me and there is a dirt wall that… that looked almost exactly the same as the mines. The _mines_ from District 12. I start shaking and looking around for everyone else. Calaysee was exactly across the circle of tributes from me. Her eyes never left mine. I swear she was saying, "Let the games begin, Liar." Gale, Peeta, Paige, Rory and Tansy were all about half way across the circle. I was next to tributes I didn't know. Which was a good thing because the plan that I had come up with a long time ago, back when on the train. The gong sounds, Peeta and Gale wave to Haymitch, me and the other rebel allies but I'm frozen watching the bloodbath begin. Calaysee slices the head off of a tribute that I think name was Jewels. Calaysee had already ran up and got a sword if you're wondering how she sliced the poor 13 year olds head off. Then I turn around and head toward an opening in the dirt wall. I run and turn through the labyrinth so I could get as far away as I could from the ongoing battle and the one thought that flashes in my mind is, "Yes Calaysee. Let the games begin."

**Okay guys. I know this is kinda short but you know… I wanted to update plus that seemed like a good place to end it. THE ARENA IS UNDERGROUND OMG! O.o What else is in this arena that I have created. I don't know. You're just going to have to find out from some random innocent tributes that will die a horrible death from my little knick knacks I have put into the arena. Woo! Poor tributes. This is quarter quell worthy. *sigh* Thanks! R&R! Tell me if you want to see the arena. I will somehow get it to you :P Okay bye!**

**~Moss**


	40. Until It's Gone

**To kara: haha thanks :D I thought it was a good idea for the arena. BUT THERE IS MORE! MWAHAHAHA! At the end of this chapter or maybe somewhere in the middle ill tell you the POV of an unfortunate tribute who has stumbled into one of my least violent rooms in the whole underground thing.. MWAHAHA :D Oh… well… now that would be kinda sad… BUT THEN THEY WOULD KILL PEETA BECAUSE THEN THEY CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER! XD no…. but still… that would be scary ending… okay now READ!**

**YOU GUYS! **

**Everyone reading: what…?**

**Me: HI! :3**

**Everyone reading: JUST SHUT UP AND START WRITING MOSS!**

**Me: fine… meanies,..(JK I LOVE YOU ALL!) Oh by the way this will get kinda gory… SORRY! Im just evil like that. But it will still have that nice little charm that my writing has. ITS STILL ME!**

I take a deep breath as I slow down. I'm completely lost now with no supplies at all. I look around. My worst fears were present. It was very dark. The corridor was lit by one single light bulb that kept spluttering and going out leaving me in darkness before it came back on. The walls of dirt and ceiling were held up of flimsy pieces of wood. It looked almost exactly the same as the mines back home looked like. I fall to the ground and cover my head. I bite my lip as I start whimpering so I don't start screaming and make sure that everyone knows where I am. I start to crawl so I'm very close to the ground. I lift up one of my hands and it's dirtier than I have ever seen it. Only a few crawls and I was already filthy. I sit down and lean against the wall. That's when it hits me. Where I was now was exceptionally hotter than cornucopia room. I scramble over to the other wall and press my hand against it. I pull away quickly as I bite my lip hard so I don't yelp like a little dog.**(whats up with me and dogs?)** Were the game makers trying to make us burn up already? I get up to my feet, attempt to brush off most of the dirt then head down the corridor. The hallway starts to get darker as I walk farther and farther away from the tiny light bulb. I'm almost in complete darkness when I see a light start shining at the end. I start running. I hope it's a hallucination. I hope my brain hasn't already gone haywire. I mean I've only been in the arena for about 5 minutes or more. Thankfully, I'm not hallucinating. There's a door at the end with a light bulb hanging dangerously in front of it. I grab the handle, pull the door open and run inside the bright room. My eyes flash because of all the light. I hear the door slam behind me which start an inner alarm. That was not good. Once my eyes have adjusted, I look around the room. It was made of metal completely un like the mines. What startled me the most though was that the four walls the room had were covered… in… _buttons_. They weren't labeled or anything. I take a risk and walk over to the wall. I press one. I hear a clink and think that nothing has happened. I was wrong. I step back and sigh. Then I hear a whoosh and I turn around. A giant swinging axe has appeared out of nowhere and was heading straight towards me. I duck but I wasn't fast enough to be completely unharmed. I felt it rip apart the skin on top of my head in slow motion. It felt like someone was ripping a part of my soul away from me. My eyes bulge out as I hug the ground. The axe comes swinging back and I risk a look at it. It was huge, polished and looked sharper than Cato's sword. Worst, it was smeared with something red right in the middle of it. My blood. I duck down again as it comes swinging back over my head still at full speed. I take another risk and start to army crawl over to the wall. I press a button. The floor in the room starts to shake and the middle of the room starts to spin. The axe is still swinging around. I push myself up against the wall pressing many buttons at once with my back. A large siren starts to go off. The light in the room starts flashing different colors ranging from, red and orange to blue and green. The room starts to get flooded with water. What sort of room _was_ this? Spikes start coming out of the ceiling and getting shot out of it. I just narrowly dodge some. And then I press my hand against the wall and everything disappears. It doesn't go back into a slot or anything it just… _disappears into thin air_. Then a part of the wall to my right starts to let out steam and make buttons disappear leaving the shape of a door. I get up slowly, still aware of the exposed, bleeding wound on top of my head. I press on the door and ignore the excruciatingly hot heat that it let off. I get balanced on my legs then push against the door. It's heavy like it has never been opened before. I push for about a minute before it loosens up so it only takes a tiny push for it to open. I sigh and run out of the room, slamming the door behind me. I sigh and slide down the door to the ground. I lean against it and take deep breaths. I still have all 10 fingers. I think one of the spikes hit my left foot but bounced off my boot because my left foot felt like someone took a drill to it. I start to sweat, not because I'm nervous but because where ever I was it was hotter than a summer day in the middle of July. I'm still staring at my left foot, wondering if I should brave it and take my boot off to look, or wait later to do it, when I hear a scream. I tense and don't move. I look up slowly and the next thing I see takes my breath away. As far as my eyes could see, other than the small walkway that I was on, the rest of the arena was made out of some sort of red substance that let of so much heat that I could literally see the heat distorting the air as it came out.**(It's a lava river by the way but Katniss doesn't know what Lava is soo yeah.)** Sort of like the little square that made a force field visible. Occasionally, a large bubble would come up to the surface and pop, letting out steam. I take off my jacket and tie it around my waist. I was still boiling up. I cough as the heat starts to dry out my mouth and my eyes start to feel itchy. I try to ignore the heat as I wipe as much dirt as I can off of my hands so I can examine the wound on my head. I groan in defeat as my hands still stay a brownish color. Oh well. Maybe sponsors would give me something if my wound got infected. I slowly and steadily put my hand to wear the pain was the most. I have barely touched it when I suck in harshly and pull my hand away. This was bad. Very ,very bad. I use my willpower to press a finger against the open wound. I pull back and look at my hand. It was red. My finger was no longer brown but red. I swear under my breath. I rip a piece of my pants off and make bandage that is big enough to cover the wound wrap underneath my chin so it can stay in place. Once I'm done bandaging it up as much as I can I get up and start walking. I didn't want to stay very close to that room. It might explode. You never know. I keep walking even when my left foot starts to send messages to me saying that it was hurting more than the animals I shot in the woods. I keep on walking. My poor body must hate my determination right now. There had to be and end right? It can't keep going on. There has to be a force field somewhere. I hadn't noticed it before but I just realized that this whole room was lit up by lights. It was like they wanted tributes to find their way here like moths to a light in the middle of the night. I continue walking. I start to get a horrible headache like someone had just hi my head with a sledgehammer. I moan and start to get dizzy. I fall over by an opening and just a few feet away the walkway just disappears into darkness, like an author's unfinished book. The darkness was the unknown and what the author would never write while the arena was what was left of the book. The arena must be surrounded by a giant crevice so if tributes jumped off they would just plummet to their deaths. I look to my side slowly and that's when I see a tiny bit of sunshine shine down from the ceiling. I hadn't noticed it before. I was too busy trying to get to the end of this damn arena. Guess what the sunshine was shining on. A primrose. I stare at the flower for a few seconds before my mind is flooded with horror, relief, sorrow and happiness. Everything comes speeding back to me. I remembered everything from that single piece of hope right here. I start crying. I was disgusted by my brain. I wasn't angry at Gale. I was more angry at myself now. There wasn't any anger left over for anyone else. I couldn't believe what my brain had done. I remembered the talk Rory and I had about Prim. I remember all the times Paige and I bonded over Prim in the hospital. I remember the hallucination of Prim that one snowy day before my world broke apart into a million pieces. What kind of big sister was I? I hear a tiny voice in my head say, "Now you're a hypocrite Katniss. You've been blaming your mother for not talking to you when you were being an even more horrible big sister. You couldn't even remember your little sister. The one that meant the world to you. At least your mother remembers you."

Gale's POV

I sit down next to Rory. The rebel alliance was hiding out in a large room. It had a few sleeping bags in it. Plus it had three locks on the door. It was like they planned this room specifically for people to spend the night in. Everyone in the group had grabbed some sort of food so we had a giant pile of food in the middle of the room now. Almost everyone other than Calaysee's group was here. There was a little girl from district 5 who was missing and… Catnip.

"You think she's okay?" Rory asks me. I don't have to know who he's talking about.

"I don't know, Rory…" I sigh. "Haymitch said that she was more than likely going to die because she hadn't grabbed any food or supplies from the cornucopia room. Apparently, the cornucopia room is the only room where you can get food from."

"So is that where Calaysee and her careers are going to stay."

"Hell, no. It would be suicide. The cornucopia room is the most dangerous. The game makers apparently have set the room on random. Nobody knows what it will do if you stay in it too long."

"How do you know all this?"

"I don't ask. Ask Haymitch and Plutarch." Rory sighs and lies down on his sleeping bag.

"Night, Gale."

"Night, little guy." Rory mumbles an insult of some kind before he falls asleep. I sit there staring at him. He was only 14 years old. He didn't deserve to go through this. At least he was going with me, right? I could protect him. But it was going to be pretty hard to protect him and Katniss at the same time. I look up at the ceiling. Finally, feeling a little defeated by all of this. Katniss was right. I was taking all of this rebellion stuff to seriously. Then a scream rings out and that's when the chaos starts.

Katniss' POV

I had pulled myself up into a sitting position and was no longer crying but protecting the Primrose like it was my little sister. I couldn't help but hope that it was. Then I hear a bunch of cannon's ring out. I tense and fear claws at me. Could Calaysee have attacked the rebel group already? A few minutes later Panem's national anthem plays and a hologram on the ceiling shows me the dead tributes. None from district 1. Enobaria from District 2. I stare at her picture before it changes to district 3. I curse because Dixie isn't dead. I couldn't help but wish death upon her. Beetee from District 3. I bit my tongue so I don't start crying. Sivan from District 4. Johanna from District 7. And then comes District 12. I grit my teeth. My mother, Paige, Rory, Peeta and… Gale. I start crying. I start swearing. He was supposed to not leave me here alone. He _promised_. He said he wouldn't leave me. He hasn't ever broken a promise to me before. I start to break down from inside out. The whole that Peeta had created a while back was now opening even bigger and sucking me inside. Not only had my world been shattered but now my whole soul was breaking apart like Calaysee had taken a baseball bat and hit it until it withered away into nothing. I curl up into the fetal position. Staring at the primrose. There was so much I wanted to tell them all. I barely register that everyone from the Capitol rebels were dead too. You never know how much something means to you until it's gone.

**First… Don't kill me. Second… Gale isn't dead. It's Katniss' brain pulling tricks on her. I promise. I just had to say that so I wouldn't get spammed by people swearing and saying they hate me. Cuz I would hate anyone if Gale was actually dead like this. I promise. I'm going to update real soon so you'll know what the chaos is and how Katniss is going to react even more. OKAY GUYS YEP THAT WAS IT! MY LEAST VIOLENT ROOM COULD HAVE KILLED KATNISS! SHE WAS IN IT! AND ONE OF THOSE BUTTONS COULD HAVE SENT EVERY TIME OF WEAPON AT HER BUT KATNISS HAS ESCAPED DEATH AGAIN!**

**R&R! :D**

**~Moss**


	41. Infinite

**To Kara: JUST WAIT OKAY? READ THIS CHAPTER AND YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH!NOOOOOOOOOOOO IT'S A TEAM PEETA PERSON*runs away and hides* jk Im not gonna turn into like almost every obsessive Team Peeta person in the world (like some of my friends…) who just stare at me like, "What is wrong with you? Stop defending Gale. He's a big jerk and is evil." And I just stare at them: :O and start ranting and then it becomes this big rant war… I feel so alone in this world. Even my best friend is on Team Peeta and Gale. She says shes "neutral". No… I mean I don't want to turn this into twilight (I never liked twilight because if you remove the love triangle from that its just about a girl who moves to a place that rains a lot and then if you remove the love triangle from HG then you get an epic story about kids killing each other to the death and rebellion in a dystopian world) or anything but just no. IKR! I MEAN LIKE KATNISS! STOP SURVIVING ALL THE TIME! YOU HAVE TO DIE EVENTUALLY XD… Shes still really fun to write about though. NOOO I LIKE LONG REVIEWS DON'T BE SORRY! (XD)**

**To Lauren: THANK YOU FOR LOVING IT! FOR THAT I LOVE YOU! (XD) YOU CAN CALL IT AN ALTERNATE ENDING TO THE HG TRILOGY! Aww that's really sweet. O.O nooo its another peeta lover O.O jk its fine. I respect people's opinion. LIKE PEOPLE SHOULD RESPECT MY OPINION OF NOT LIKING PEETA JESUS PEOPLE! ****(sorry I kinda… idk… I exploded for a second… im weird) YES! THANK YOU! I MEAN LIKE GALE ISN'T LIKE A MURDERER OR ANYTHING! NOBODY KNOWS WHOS BOMB ACTUALLY KILLED PRIM I MEAN HUFF! (sorry.. I've been in a ranting mood all day)YAY! THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU! 3 and your other review Lauren: OMG I WISH I COULD WRITE THIS IN A DAY THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME! But unfortunately I don't have super power ;w; THAT'S WHAT IM PLANNING TO BECOME! THAT'S LIKE… OMG THE BEST THING ANYBODY CAN TELL ME! **

**I'm so weird people. I just started singing Up on the house top… you know the Christmas carol but its like the middle of the summer. Oh my god moss. *slaps self* Okay guys… the million dollar question… what happened… we are going to kick off today's episode… er… chapter with the view from the adorable(my opinion) awesome rebellious… I think you get it… GALE! CLAP EVERYONE! *is only one clapping*…. ;( **

Gale's POV

People are running around like crazy because people have suddenly been hit by daggers covered in tracker jacker poison. They come flying out of the floor and ceiling hitting people left and right. People start clawing at their own throats, trying to get rid of the horror that wasn't actually there. For some reason they miss me and Rory. I look down at him. I didn't really want to leave him here but he would probably be safer in a group. I laugh at myself because I was being a hypocrite. Leaving a large group to go be on my own.

I walk up slowly to the pile of food. There wasn't anyone guarding it. I grab a backpack, a knife and a sleeping bag. It was freezing in this arena. I tuck the backpack under my arm and pull my jacket closer around myself/I tuck the knife into my belt and hold onto the sleeping bag. I'm almost at the door when I hear someone yell out, "STOP HIM! HE'S STEALING A BACKPACK." I duck my head down as people start to assemble better until another rally of daggers come flying out. Some flying straight into people's hearts, splattering blood all over the floor. I make it to the door, quickly unlock everything then start to sprint. I was going to find Katniss. I had a feeling something had happened to her. Someone had lied to her. I can't explain it… I just feel it. And I knew I had to fix that.

**(Guys… I can feel that there's going to be Galeniss fluff. I don't know how I know but I can feel it. I can just feel that it's gonna get very fluffy soon. I can't explain it… I just feel it. XD. Oh by the way I got writer's block right…. Here. Huff… sorry. I should get write or die… hmm…)**

Katniss' POV

I open my eyes and stare out in front of me. I was hoping this whole thing would be a messed up nightmare. Actually, I wish everything since Prim got reaped had never happened… I mean... my life was pretty messed up. I sigh as reality starts pumping its self into my brain and I get up slowly. I didn't have any supplies, and no sponsors had taken pity on me yet. I lean against the dirt wall and stare at the Primrose. I was wondering what to do. I could just stay here and be a sitting duck. Or I could keep moving but that would mean leaving the Primrose. I was worried that if I took my eyes off of it… That… That the memories I had would also disappear. I grit my teeth and put my head against the wall. There had to be a better way. Plus I was hyper consciences of my burning left foot, the extreme heat and the growing pain in my stomach from the lack of food and water. I hit the wall in frustration. To my surprise the wall makes an echo sound. That was strange. I hit the wall again and the same sound echoes through the area. I brush away some dirt and find something metal on the wall. That's probably why my hands were hurting. I brush away more and once I'm done I find something that sort of looks like a door. I glare at it, frustrated. I chew my lip and squint at it. I pick up a tiny rock that was at the base and throw it at the metal. For some reason it works. I stare at the pebble that was on the ground, in awe as the door starts to crank itself open. I had found a secret room. I walk in and slide the pocket door back into its original position. I look around the room. Well, it looked very capitol like. It was a completely white room with nothing but a chair in the middle. I don't know what to do but go sit in the chair. I look around the room again. Still, nothing appears to happen. I close my eyes and moan. I wish Gale was here. He'd probably know what to do. Plus I felt like punching something right now. Gale's nose was a very welcoming thing to punch. Plus I could give him a valid reason why I punched him. I open my eyes again and there he is. Standing in front of me, unblinking. It was surreal that I'm absolutely frozen. I stare at Gale. He wasn't moving. I wasn't moving. How did he get in? I didn't hear the door. My eyes start to fill with tears as I stand up and race towards him while yelling, "GALE!" I hit the wall. I'm stunned. I've just run _through_ Gale. Was he a ghost? I turn around and see something worse. Gale was moving like a projection. He was just… just… a hologram? I pucker up my face and try not to start screaming. Could they stop playing with me? I run back over to the chair, sit down and stuff my face into my hands. I start letting the tears down. I think about Prim. And all the things I never got to say to her. Once I'm done crying, I sniffle and look up. I grab my braid and pull it out hard when I see what's there. Or rather who. My little sister was now in the place of my best friend… er.. whatever Gale was now. We had kissed several times now. Friends with benefit? No that sounded wrong. I mentally slap myself for getting sidetracked at a time like this. I cautiously walk up to Prim. I examine her. She didn't blink and just stared into space. I reach forward and touch her. She buzzes and flashes away then back like a projection. Another hologram. I groan and fall to the ground. I was _so_ hungry.

"Guys really? Please? Give me food?" Like magic a piece of bread appears in front of me. This wasn't from the sponsors though. I stare at the piece of bread. I reach forward, using all my willpower, and only took a tiny piece of it. It was a hallucination from the headache or a hologram That was a good sign… I think. I place in my mouth. It tasted normal. I swallow it. I wait a couple seconds before stuffing the rest in my mouth. "Can I have water too?" A water bottle appears where the bread used to be. I pop it open and drink it all quickly. I had to say though. I was staring to like this room, _a lot_. I hear footsteps running echoing outside. I open my eyes wide. Had someone found me? Were they coming to kill me? I think of a bow and arrow and a toy one appears in front of me that starts shooting _real_ arrows, that could kill, at me. I get up quickly. I knew it was too good to be true. I run across to the door and pull it open. It was extremely hard and an arrow gets shot into my arm causing me to swear, but eventually I get out. I glance at the Primrose for a second before I start running back the way I had come from a few hours ago. I didn't even notice the familiar figure running towards me. The one waving their arms all about, screaming the word, "Catnip!", over and over. I was so sick of this. My foot starts complaining again, my head was starting to hurt. I think my arm was broken because the arrow was disgustingly piercing all the way out the other side of my arm. It was hurting so much it was almost numb. I look down and charge. I run into something, pushing it down to the ground. It was warm and was moving up and down. It was whispering something into my ear that jerked me back into reality.

"Catnip… catnip… its okay." I look up.

"Gale? You aren't just a hologram? Or a robot? You really are Gale Hawthorne?"

Gale laughs but I could see the fire of hatred and concern start to grow behind his happiness. "The one and only." I start crying. I was too happy and relieved to be an bit of angry at him. Plus what was there to be angry about? I had killed Coin. Gale had apologized sincerely, although a little bit encouraged by a weight to the head. (It's also a great substitute for morphing!) Gale smiles at, and I see tears in his eyes the second time in my life. I kiss him. I didn't care if Peeta would see this. We were over and anyway… right? Plus he probably went around kissing that girl from District 4 anyway.

Peeta's POV(WHAT A COINCIDENCE KATNISS! LOOK AT WHAT HE'S DOING!)

Sivan leaned up against my side. I put an arm around her. It was strange not doing this with Katniss but Katniss wasn't my life. We had both decided to move on. It hurt us both. It just brought more memories. I shake them away as Sivan pulls my head down and we start kissing. I'm flooded with senses. The smell of her hair **(Creeper? O.O)** that brought back memories of the smell of the salty sea from when I had gone to District 4. The taste of summer, fresh on my lips… If you're wondering, summer tastes like, warmth, sugar and everything beautiful. Flowers blooming, fresh meat, homemade icing. Everything combined made it something beautiful.

Katniss' POV

I grab Gale's hair as I try pulling myself closer to him. Gale wraps his arm around my waist and hoists me up towards his face, since he was taller and I just couldn't reach. I didn't care anymore if we were right next to something hot and deadly. I didn't care about my head wound, my foot that was probably infected or my arm that was now completely numb. The world melted away from me until it was just me, Gale and a fiery passion that enveloped us. Just like the woods outside District 12, it seemed infinite. Gale's hands move up towards my neck and push my head down closer. We were so desperate, like starving animals for food.  
>I pull away first. We had somehow come from, Gale and I lying on the ground, me on top. To, Gale and I lying on the ground with Gale on top. Then to, me lying down while Gale was sitting on his knees. Then finally to how we were now, both of us in a sitting position. I was sitting on Gale's lap stretching my neck up. I look at Gale's gray eyes. He stares back. I take my hands out of his hair. Gale's jacket that had been tied around his waist was lying a few feet away. My braid had completely come out now. My touch my lips, the fire I had felt a few seconds ago, still lingered. They were puffy and probably red. I still couldn't believe Gale was still alive. I start crying. "Hey, hey…shh…" Gale mumbles as he pulls my head against his chest. He kisses my head once and awhile, as I sob into him.<p>

"I… I thought you were dead!" I exclaim! There were cannons! Then the dead tributes were shown and you were there! Everyone! Well… Everyone that I somewhat cared about."

"Catnip… I'm alive. The cannons were because the room my alliance was in had started attacking us. As far as I know everyone that we know personally is still alive. Plus Katniss… Have I ever broken a promise before?"

"NO BUT GALE!" I start crying.

"Sh… Catnip.. It's okay."

"I know, I know." I rub away my tears. "I have something to tell you though." I look up and Gale's face. It was so beautiful. I trace his jaw line getting distracted. He pulls my hand down back to my side. I was surprised he hadn't noticed the arrow in my other arm yet… Well.. He would soon enough.

"Concentrate, Catnip."  
>"Right…" I blink and sigh. "I remember."<p>

"What?"

"I remember, everything."

**CLIFF HANGER! MWAHAHAHA! :D sorry guys that this was kind a late. I got writer's block right in the middle. BUT SEE GUYS LOTS OF FLUFFINESS! AND ITS JUST GETTING STARTED! Even peeta and sivan were getting fluffy. (::) cookie! Yay! Okay bye cuz my computer is gonna die soon! D: **

**~Moss**


	42. I'm coming after you if this kills her

**TOO BUSY TO REPLY TO ANONYMOUS REVIEWS! WANT TO GET THIS OUT! OKAY I'LL REPLY SOON! IVE JUST BEEN GOING TO CAMP FROM 9-5 so it's the whole day basically. OKAY HERES THE CHAPTER!**

Gale's POV

"I…" Katniss mutters before her eyes close and she grows limp. That's when I notice the make shift bandage on her head and the arrow in her arm. I mentally slap myself. I was so busy kissing her I hadn't paid any attention to Katniss. I place her down on the ground gently. I reach over and grab my backpack and look through it. There was a roll of bandages at the bottom. I slowly take off Katniss' makeshift bandage and pull out a water bottle. I slowly drop some water on it. I see Katniss' face scrunch up slightly. I felt horrible. One, for not noticing earlier and two for probably making Katniss feel awful. The head wound was no longer bleeding and was not very deep but it could get infected. I quickly re-wrap it with a new bandage. I survey the arrow in her arm. It would probably let out valuable blood if I took out. I wasn't even sure how to take it out without causing a hell lot of pain to Katniss. She was still passed out on the ground. It would be a lot easier if Katniss was actually awake. Then she could tell me what to do. I groan in frustration. I'm staring at the arrow mentally dumping a bucket load of hate on it, concentrating so hard that I barely notice the silver parachute landing next to us. I pick it up and unwrap the package and open it. There was a package of blood, a syringe, an antibiotic wipe and a step by step instruction on how to inject blood. **(YOU GUYS BETTER THANK ME FOR NOT FAINTING FROM WRITING THIS PART! I CAN ALREADY FEEL MYSELF GET DIZZY AT THE WORD SYRINGE!) ** I reluctantly read the instructions. It was pretty simple. Wipe an area above an artery. Draw blood using the syringe from the packet then insert it into the area that was cleaned with the wipe. And then take it back out and cover the spot with a bandage. I look at the arrow and slowly reach over and pull it out, slowly. There was a soft grinding noise like someone was gritting their teeth. I bite my lip and try to ignore how Katniss started to flail around a bit. I keep pulling the arrow out, slowly. A steady flow of blood started to trickle out of the wound. It dripped down onto the ground like red rain drops. When the arrow was about half way out, a pool of red blood had formed and instead of flailing around Katniss had grown extremely still, which worried me more. She had to wake up soon so I could give her some water. I knew that Katniss was awfully close to death and that I might just be making it worse, but leaving an arrow in her arm couldn't be good for her either. I pull out the rest of the arrow and fling it to the side. I grab the water and drop a bit on the wound to clean it. Then I grab the bandages and wrap it around it tightly. I glance at the bandage that was wrapped around 5 times, a tiny stain of blood already appearing. I take a deep breath and grab the antibiotic wipe. I lift Katniss' arm and wipe a tiny spot on her arm above a visible artery. Katniss was still disturbingly still. Her chest was going up and down slowly with each breath. I pick up the needle and fill it with blood. A though flickers into my head, _What if this doesn't work? What if I'm just going to kill her… as soon as I put this needle into her…? What will I have done? Poisoned her? Or saved her? _The Capitol had never given me any reason to trust them. I take a deep breath as I pull the needle up above the spot I had cleaned. _Don't fail me now… If I kill her… I'll…. I'll find the strength to take you down… You hear that? I'm coming after you if this kills her. _ I steady my hand that I hadn't realized had started to shake and plunge the needle into the artery, push the blood into her than pull it back out. I grab a bandage and wrap the area quickly. I lean against the wall and let out a breath.

Katniss' POV

There was a huge pain in my arm as I slowly woke up. It felt extremely light. I open my eyes and stare at it. There were two bandages wrapping around it. One was soaked with blood. I push myself up slowly, aware of the world spinning around me. Gale was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and his chest rising up and down slowly. He was _asleep?_ I roll my eyes and poke him. He jolts awake and stares at me.

"Not much of a prince in shining armor are you?" I joke. I feel my breath whooshing out of me as Gale tackles me. "OW!" I yelp and Gale jumps back, surprised and lowers his head into his hands.

"I'm sorry! I'm an idiot! I'm just…"

"It's ok, Gale." I push myself up slowly again. He looks up.

"I'm sorry."

"I know, you told me already."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"Gale! Stop! You've told me you were sorry already! Please…"

"Can I help you?" Gale asks and pulls me up to the wall next to him.

"Um… water would be helpful?" I don't think Gale hears me though because he just continues staring at me, his eyes taking me all in, as if he thought I wasn't real. "Gale?" I ask. He jumps but grabs the water bottle next to him.

"Sorry."

"I know." I laugh as I take the water and slowly drink it, my hand shaking as I bring it up to my dry lips. My muscle spasms, causing the water to spill on top of my head. I groan. And then I feel my stomach churning. The bread I had before coming back up. A second later I'm covered in my own vomit.

"Here." Gale turns my head towards him, takes the water bottle and slowly tilts it into my lips. I drink most of the bottle before I push it away.

"Thanks…" I mumble.

"Anything." He smiles and I shrug but my lips betray me and twist up. I turn to look at the mess I had created on myself.

"Oh God…" I mumble. Throwing up was not very smart.

"It's okay. Maybe the blood I had to give you made you throw up…?" Gale says. I turn to him.

"What?"

"I gave you blood so I could get the arrow out."

"Oh…" I stare at my limp arm. Then meet Gale's eyes. "Where the hell did you get blood?" I look at his arms. "How did you get it _in_ me?"

"Sponsors."

"What?"

"Sponsors."

"_We have sponsors?"_ My eyes wide open.

"Yes?" Gale raises one eyebrow while the other lowers. He reaches out and puts his hand on my forehead. "You sure you feel okay?"

"Yes!" Then I look at my foot. "Oh wait…" I lift my foot and shrug the combat boot off. I stare at the sock that looked like it was wet where my big toe would be. I stare at it in horror.

"Um… Katniss… How the hell did all of this happen?" He waves his arm to my head, arm and foot.

"A room full of buttons."

"…Okay…" He looks at me and pretends to understand but I can tell he doesn't understand. I shrug to myself. It didn't matter that much. He goes towards my foot and pulls off the sock. My breath catches in my throat when it's finally off. Gale takes a deep breath. My toe was big and swollen, a mix of colors ranging from bright purple, deep dark blue and black. The nail was pulled back slightly.

"Put the sock back on!" I exclaim as I look away. I lift my foot towards him and wave it.

"Okay! Okay!" A second later, my sock and combat boot is back on and Gale and I are both sitting, leaning on the wall.

"That was horrible…" I mutter.

"Yep…"

"Hey!"

"I'm agreeing with you! What's wrong with that?"

"Well…" Gale had a point. I sigh in defeat. "Thanks Gale…"

"For what?" He asks. My head was getting heavy and I was ready to fall asleep.

"For…" I yawn. "For taking first shift." I smirk as I lean my head against Gale's shoulder, glancing at his stunned face. I close my eyes and drift away to a better place.

**I WROTE THE EPILOGUE! :D OMG ITS AWESOME! LIKE SERIOUSLY! I LOVE THE EPILOGUE TO THIS FANFIC! ERRGH! I WANT TO SHOW IT TO YOU GUYS BUT IT WOULD SPOIL STUFF! D:**

**okay guys. It's sad that I won't be replying for awhile. I've been exceptionally busy. I'm at a camp next week. And yeah... I'll try to reply but honestly... It's been chaotic here. Okay... BYE! SORRY!**


	43. Footsteps

**Thank you so much for the reviews! :D **

Katniss' POV

Of course when I wake up the exact opposite of what I was expecting was there. Err… Well… Not there. Gale was gone and I had no idea what to do. At first I had started freaking out. Maybe Calaysee got him! And then I kind of calmed down and here I am now, staring at the big red river that was burning me up. "Where the hell did he go?" I mumble to myself. I look down towards the room where I had got the bread. "I'm starving…" I get up slowly. The overwhelming sense that the world was spinning around me flooded my senses. I grip my head with one hand and lean against the wall with the other. "Maybe I hallucinated him…" I mumble to myself. "It's not like my mental health is in great condition or anything." Then I notice that my arms were still bandaged, a sure sign that Gale hadn't been a figment of my imagination. _Where is he? ,_ I think. I groan, as I slowly walk towards the room. Maybe it would take pity on me. Or not. But it was worth a shot. Right?

Katniss' Mom/Tansy's POV

I was sitting in a dark room. There wasn't a single shred of light. But I knew I was in a room, the same way I knew that there was a flower a few feet in front of me, a primrose to be exact. _Primrose…_ I think. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. All senses were removed from me. I felt panic claws at me but after a few seconds I felt at peace. I stay there for a long time, soaking in the calm of the darkness. For a second, I think that I'm dead. That I'm dead and this was how I would stay forever. I wouldn't mind it. It was weird but I felt at home.

"Tansy? Please wake up?" A familiar voice rings through my ears suddenly.

"Honey…?" I whisper, thinking it was my deceased husband. Maybe he had come to save me.

"No. It's Gale." This jolts me back into reality. I sit up straight, gasping for breath. The room was dark but a few flashlights were shining, including the one in Gale's hand. He was squatting next to my sleeping bag. Rory was behind him, grinning. "We got to go. You guys are not going to be safe here. I mean how could a group this big be safe in the arena?" I don't hesitate before crawling out of my sleeping bag quickly and silently.

"Why are you helping me?" I ask quietly, rolling my sleeping bag up and stuffing it into my backpack.

"Because I've already forgiven you. Now I just need you and Katniss to forgive each other." Gale answered, looking back at Rory. "I'm guessing you want to go get Paige?" Rory blushes and sticks his tongue out at Gale. Gale covers his own mouth with his hand, so the laugh that comes out if muffled. I smile at them. My gaze lowers as Rory looks at me, with warm grey eyes. "Okay, Rory. Go get Paige and I'll get Peeta."

"That's… A lot of people…" I whisper. Gale nods.

"It's better than staying here…" He trails off, his gaze hardens and the fire ignites in him again. I cock my head to the side. Gale was confusing me a bit. He notices and just shrugs. I nod. It wasn't the time. Gale stands up, and slowly walks over to where Peeta was. I stay where I am. Rory was already off, grinning as he pulled Paige up to her feet.  
>After they come back, Sivan following closely behind Gale takes the lead as we slowly and quietly walk out the door we had all come through.<p>

We were walking for about an hour, Gale running his hand along the wall, before Sivan speaks up and says, "We're lost aren't we?"

Gale flips around, "No we aren't!" I sigh, walking ahead of everyone since they had stopped walking.

"Just admit it already, Gale…" Rory mumbles, hugging himself. "It's freezing here." Gale grits his teeth, but I keep walking away from them.

"That's not helping, Rory." Gale must have noticed that I was still walking. "Tansy… Err. I don't know what to call you."

"Tansy is perfectly fine, honey. We've known each other for a long time anyway." I didn't feel anything, except a bit of hate when I looked at Gale over my shoulder. Gale shifts his weight from one foot to the other.

"Okay… Tansy… We stopped… So…" Gale trails off. Sivan crosses her arms. Paige looks at the ground. Rory looks at the ceiling. Peeta looks at Gale.

"I know." I answer. They all probably thought I was insane. I smile then turn around fully. I zip up my coat because it was really cold where we were. "Is it always this hot?"

Gale sighs, "Where I found Katniss it was really hot…" Everyone but Gale groans.

"Seriously?" Rory says. "We are totally lost, Gale."

"Well I'm sorry that the walls looked different… And they felt different... And they weren't like that before…" Gale mutters.

Peeta's eyes darken as he speaks. "That means the maze is moving."

"The gamemaker's are playing with us…" Sivan mumbles.

"Or the maze has a mind of its own…" I add. This makes a couple more looks get sent my way. I smile and shrug. "It's possible. We _are_ in a labyrinth."

"What's a labyrinth?" Rory asks. Paige looks at me like I might actually be making some sense. _Well, at least someone is smart in this alliance._

"You really think…" Paige mumbles before her eyes widen. "It would make sense. It would really make the whole game like a giant board game or something."

"Board game?" Rory asks again. "Is that some sort of game you play with wooden boards?"

"No." Sivan answers. "It's a bit complicated but it's like a card game but instead of cards you use dice and a big sheet of cardboard. It varies with each board game really." She shrugs.

"Back to the labyrinth theory." Paige scratches her head. "I read a story about one. There was this big creature that it was built for. It's supposed to play with you… I think… I don't really remember."

"S'okay, Paige." Rory says, patting her back. "I don't even know what you're talking about."

"How does that help?" Paige says bitterly. Rory shrugs.

"I'm not sure…" _Maybe Gale and Rory aren't _exactly _the same…_ I laugh softly. Gale smiles at me probably thinking the same thing.

"Well as long as we're here…We should probably take a break." Peeta suggests. Everyone nods and sits down. Well, I don't. I keep standing, looking down the corridor. _There are people over there. I know it._ I keep staring, even when Paige puts a hand on my shoulder.

Katniss' POV

The room was very nice to me. It gave me lamb stew!

Yeah, right. Like the room would give me lamb stew. It did give me a bow though. Now I just need a quiver with arrows and I'm good. I sit against the wall, next to the door, my bow sitting next to me. My stomach growls and I look up and the ceiling. "food?" And my prayers were answered a few minutes later. A silver parachute pops out of the ceiling. _Well things are looking up for me…_ I think as I open up the container. It was a broth with a spoon on the side. I smile happily as I start sipping it up. After I'm done I look around. _Where was he?_ I sigh and shift my weight.

Tansy's POV

I open my eyes, standing up. I had heard footsteps. I look at the rest of my group. They were all there, Peeta looks up from his spot and waves. I smile but it falters. "Footsteps…" I mumble, looking down the corridor again. "Guys…" I say, concern in my voice.

"What?" Rory asks, wiping sleep away from his eyes.

"Everything okay?" Gale asks.

"Footsteps." I answer.

"What?" Peeta asks, walking towards me.

"Footsteps." I close my eyes. "They've found us."

"We sure have, Liar's mom." Calaysee snarls.

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNN! XD haha anyway… School starts tomorrow so I'm gonna have more time to write! ! YAY! And I got my motivation back. **


	44. The Pre-Show

Gale's POV

I spin around, pulling out the dagger I had grabbed. It wasn't my preferred weapon but it was better than nothing. Or a slingshot at that. At first all I felt was anger and hatred, start boiling up inside me, overwhelming me completely. My grip tightens as I glare at Calaysee and her smirking companions. That's when I see her sword. I open my mouth to speak but I realize how utterly hopeless it is to even try and fight her. I look at my allies quickly. Peeta had a sharp rock in hand, just like Thresh has back in those games. Sivan was holding her fists out in front of her, biting her lip. Paige was standing there with a furious look that could have melted steel. Rory had pulled out his club and Mrs. Everdeen, Tansy, stood there calmly, watching the whole scene. _Maybe I thought wrong…_

"Oh calm down Hawthorne." Calaysee scolds. "We're not gonna hurt you…" She grins. "Maybe."

"That's very re-assuring." I say sarcastically. Rory rolls his eyes.

"It wasn't meant to be re-assuring."

I raise an eyebrow but don't respond.

"Where's your precious liar?"

"I don't know."

"I don't believe that!" Calaysee exclaims then looks at her followers. "Do you guys?" They shake their heads quickly, a bit of nervousness showed on their faces. They're….afraid of her?

"I seriously don't know…" I mumble. My allies glance at me with confusion.

Calaysee replies coolly, "Your expression says otherwise." Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. My stomach churns.

**((OOC: Just want to mention Katniss' POV won't be in this :D))**

"I might know the general location of Katniss… but why should I tell you?"

"Because if you don't… I'll…" Calaysee pauses and turns around. She finds a boy and smiles at him. "I'll do this."

"You'll sta-"I start but stop as I see what Calaysee was doing. She elegantly, in slow motion to add effect, pulled out her sword, that shined when hit with the light from the lantern on the ceiling. It looks like pure ice, one that no matter what temperature would never melt. An immortal sword was what it was. She walks, slowly up to the boy, no more than 14 and puts her sword to his neck. He look terrified, and even started shuddering. In one smooth gesture she slices his head off. Even at a distance I could tell he felt pain for a couple seconds before he was dead. His eyes spoke the truth. She turns back around casually, kicking the head away with her foot.

"That's what I'll do Hawthorne." Calaysee smiles at me in delight. "Don't you think it would be wonderful to be be-headed?"

"Yes. Marvelous." I joke. Calaysee glares at me.

"I was trying to be nice. I don't appreciate sarcasm, ."

"What's with the last name, Calaysee?"

"Don't call me Calaysee. We are on a strictly last name… uh… whatever. You can only call me Coin… er… Jupiter."

"Why Jupiter? You get married or something?"

"Sure…" She smiles. "Now Hawthorne…. Are you going to tell us where she is or not?"

"Hmm… I choose the latter of the two please."

"Excellent choice!" Calaysee claps, before cleaning off the fresh blood from her sword. "This will be fun."

I raise my dagger. "It sure will." I step forward, following Calaysee's lead. We circle around for a minute, the audience glancing at each other uneasily, before Calaysee jumps forward and swings her sword at my head. It narrowly misses neck but my cheek wasn't as lucky. A small gash had opened on it. I ignore the sting and rush around her, throwing my dagger towards her back. It missed, but scraped her thigh; cutting the fabric and making a small cut appear.

Our dance continued; I got a couple good blows in, while Calaysee hit me twice, but both were amazing hits. I had to admit. I admired her swordsmanship skills. The audience had followed and started attacking each other. There was a full blown battle going on now in the small corridor. "Hey Jupiter!" I call, looking at Calaysee. "When are you gonna actually cut my head off?"

"If you'd stop moving we'd be done with this!" She complains. There was blood on both of our weapons and on the floor. A couple people were lying motionless on the ground but none seemed…. Quite dead. And none looked familiar in any way shape or form. Relief swelled up inside me. We were winning! Of course because of this distraction, Calaysee hits me in the temple with the back of her hilt, the force knocking me to the ground. I react on instinct and throw my dagger at her. It neatly lands in her shoulder. You watching this Capitol? I hope you are. I hope you know that I hate you too.

Calaysee barely reacts to it, just turns to look at it slowly and sighing. "Hmmm. What a pain." She takes it out of her shoulder and drops it. She kicks the dagger, know soaked in blood away, before walking towards me. The ice sword was dragging behind her. As she neared my heart started pounding while the world kept spinning around me. I tried to get up but my muscles didn't obey. Nausea joined in with the dizziness but I forced myself not to throw up. Calaysee was now towering over me, heaving her sword up with two hands and putting it over my neck. This is it. I'm going to die in a few seconds. I love you Catnip.

I close my eyes and admit defeat. Calaysee was about to drop the sword when a voice rang out, "STOP!" I open my eyes quickly, and move my head, painfully and slowly towards the owner. Farther down the hall, my precious Catnip stood there proudly, holding a bow and a single arrow. You can guess who the arrow was pointed at. Calaysee. She ran forward, her aim not moving away from Calaysee. Her eyes met mine and she scowled. Oh no… I forgot… Suddenly, I was no longer afraid of Calaysee but the girl I was in love with who had a dangerous weapon in her hand that I had left alone and injured to go try to be the hero again. It failed… obviously. Calaysee moves her sword away from my neck and puts it in her sheath.  
>"Hello there, Liar."<p>

"Calaysee."

"You may call me by my last name."

"Coin." Katniss corrects herself.

"It's actually Jupiter."

"What do you mean…?" Katniss asks cautiously. There was a fire in her eyes. I smiled. My Catnip had her spark back again.

"I'm married!" Calaysee exclaims happily. I snort.

"Who would ever marry a psychopath?"

"Her husband obviously…" Katniss points out.

"Maybe her husband is a psychopath…"

"My hubby is not a psychopath! And neither am I!" Calaysee complains.

"Okay okay. Calm down." I roll my eyes. I push myself up into a seated position, holding my head. I still felt very dizzy and nauseous.

"What did you do to him?" Katniss snarls, pointing at me with her bow, which did not help appease my nerves. Everyone had stopped their fighting to watch the commotion.

"I hit him in the head." Calaysee shrugs. "No biggie."

"And what was that about be-heading my boyfriend?" Katniss asks angrily. Peeta looks at her; a sign of hurt at first then looks at me and waggles his eyebrows. _Oh shut up Peeta._

"Boyfriend, eh?" I ask, smirking. Katniss's face gets red. "And now you're blushing... Hmmm..."

"Shut up, Gale." She growls.

"No y-"

"I said shut up, Gale." Katniss repeats herself. I abide this time.

"Isn't be-heading such an awesome thing though?" Calaysee asks with enthusiasm.

"Yes. For people who have broken rules and deserve it."

"So… You deserve to be be-headed?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've broken a TON of rules, Liar."

"… I guess…"

Calaysee pulls out her sword. "Then, Liar. Shall we do this? The final battle?"

"Oh I wouldn't call it the final one." Katniss grins. I look at her in concern. How could she win with one arrow? I mean… That's virtually impossible… right? I bite my lip. What has she gotten herself into?


	45. Oops

**AN: AHHHH! I haven't updated this in forever! I'm so sorry! I just had no idea how to continue (this is why I should take the time to write an outline *sighs*). It's a miracle that I even had time do this since I'm supposed to be studying for midterms XD. Meh *shrugs* I just need to finish review packages and stuff. Not too bad.  
>By the way GuestsAnonymous people... You won... I just... You pressured me to finish the chapter. I had no idea what to write and ugh... I even asked my friend to help me write this... *sighs*. Okay here's the chapter:**

Peeta's POV (:O Surprise surprise!)

"Of course. You're just going to go straight into the fighting! You can't just argue?" I look around, people were staring at me weirdly. I shrug. "No? Fine.." I fold my arms and look over at Gale. He is still holding his head. I'm surprised he hadn't thrown up already. He's giving off a green tinge. I look back up at Calaysee and Katniss. Katniss has a makeshift sling on one of her arms, but it has started to come off. She has one arrow and things aren't looking good for her. I look up at the ceiling where I am pretty sure there is a camera. Is the Capitol finding this interesting? I hope so, then they won't have motive to kill us all here. Katniss had gotten distracted by my voice and turned around to look at me. She sighs and shakes her head before turning around, coming face to face with Calaysee's blade. Of course the one person I hadn't distracted was the one that was trying to kill us all.

The blade creates a small cut across Katniss's forehead.  
>Katniss drops her bow, but grabs the arrow and stabs it into Calaysee's stomach. It barely goes through and when Katniss pulls it back out, there's no blood on it. Calaysee grins at Katniss's surprised face.<br>"It's amazing what a bullet proof vest can do." She tells Katniss, who was taking nervous steps away from her.  
>"That... But..." She looks at her arrow strangely, then looks back at her bow that Calaysee was now picking up.<br>"You looking for this?" Calaysee sings happily before snapping it in half.  
>Katniss grits her teeth and shakes her head. "You can't win."<br>"What are you talking about? Everything's gone according to my plan. I won from the beginning." Calaysee says with confidence. "It's always been me. You've been on this path since you killed my mother."  
>Katniss was frozen, her eyes wide before she shook her head. She put on a serious and brave face as Calaysee starts taking small steps toward Katniss. The sharp ice blade was swinging dangerously and once Calaysee was close enough she poked Katniss's neck with the tip of the blade. "We can end this here if you would like."<br>"No thanks. I think I still have some tricks up my sleeve." Katniss grins and kicks out at Calaysee, narrowly missing getting speared by the sword.  
>Calaysee's knees give in and she's forced to the ground. She hasn't let go of her sword yet. Katniss moves in and tries to stab the arrow into Calaysee's neck. Calaysee, though, somehow manages to grab it before it touches her neck. Blood starts bubbling out of her closed fist. The arrow had cut open her hand. Calaysee ignores it and yanks the arrow out of Katniss's grip. Katniss stumbles backwards from the force. Calaysee snaps the flimsy arrow in half.<p>

All hope that was burning brightly in Katniss's eyes disappeared in that moment.

Everyone was frozen, including myself. Calaysee smiled happily while her accomplices smirked behind her. She started taking steps closer to Katniss, blood dripping out of her free hand. Her sword was splattered with now dry blood from Katniss's forehead.  
>"You give up?" Calaysee asks. Her voice was colder than the coldest winter in District 12. Her voice rang out, sending shiver through everyone's spines. She took another step. " , you'll be dead in a few seconds so I recommend you say your goodbyes now. There's no more hope for you. Your friend's are frozen with fear." She points her sword at Rory. "I mean look at that child. His eyes are wide, his fists clenched along with his jaw. He's even forming a cold sweat. His name was Rory wasn't it?" She then points her sword at Paige. "She's exactly the same." Then she looks back at Katniss. "You're all alone now."<br>She continued to walk towards Katniss.  
>Then suddenly Calaysee was falling, her head hitting the ground with a loud crunch.<br>"Oops." Gale says innocently.****

**I'm going on a vacation soon so I'll have lot's time to write so I promise it won't take another year to update. PROMISE IF IT DOES FEEL FREE TO JUST SEND ME A BUNCH OF REVIEWS RANTING ABOUT HOW YOU WANT THE NEXT CHAPTER. That helps a lot. ^_^ Anyway, sorry again. See you next week after my exams. :3**


	46. I scream We all scream

**Chapter name: I scream. We all scream. **

**The reason for the two weeks break: I went to the middle of nowhere where the satellite could barely reach me for internet. With all that free time though… I wrote a TON. I have a fiction press account too but most of my original work has not been uploaded on there. But I just started a new story and have written 42 pages (AKA. 15,956 words). But I got bored so now I'm writing Nightmares! I reaaaly want to write the sequel. I already have names for the new characters XD. My friend and I made them up in Science class while staring at the Periodic Table. They're really cool names based off of poisonous elements. XD Okay let's get this started already! **

Tansy's POV (Aka. Katniss's mother's POV)

I blink in slight shock, just as Calaysee does as she rubs her face, getting back up to her feet. She shakes her head and turns to glare at Gale who was smiling happily, very proud of his accomplishment.

"What the hell was that for?" Calaysee yells at Gale. Her cold voice sends a shiver down my spine. It must send a shiver through the spine of the arena as well because a few pieces of dirt land on my nose. I sneeze but no one notices.

"I got sick of your annoying voice." Gale says and shrugs.

"That's not a good reason!" Calaysee yells again. She raises her sword and points it at Gale.

"I thought it was a pretty good reason." Gale smirks at Calaysee. Some more dirt falls on my nose. I sneeze again, and rub my nose. A thought trickles into my mind. If someone screams will the tunnel collapse?

Katniss was still staring at the two of them in shock, unable to move. She obviously had not expected this move to be played by Gale. Nobody did really. I could tell from Peeta's face that he was thinking something along the lines of: Why didn't I think of that?

Calaysee starts taking steps towards Gale but Peeta, coming out of his shock, jumps toward her and pulls out a dagger.

"As much as I don't like, Gale, he's pretty hard to hate." Peeta tells Calaysee, mustering as much confidence as he could.

"Hey! I said something like that about you!" Gale exclaims.

"You have a great memory…" Paige grumbles.

With all the commotion a large piece of brown dirt falls on my nose. I sneeze again. My nose was now tinted brown. I bet it _would _collapse.

"You guys are making me angry…" Calaysee grits her teeth, unsure of whom to point her sword at anymore.

"I thought you were already full of rage!" Gale cries. More dirt. Someone should scream.

"Gale… Don't get too cocky now." Peeta warns.

"Fine." He crosses his arms.

Calaysee doesn't hold back anymore and swings her sword in a wide arch. It's sloppy though, Peeta jump out of the way and Gale ducks. Rory pick up his hammer that had been lying on the ground.

A much larger amount of dirt lands on my nose. Some of it goes into my mouth. I spit it out. Someone should _really_ scream.

"Losing your touch, huh?" Gale provokes.

"Gale." Sivan growls.

"Stop provoking Calaysee!" Paige cries.

Gale sits quietly now. Then Calaysee takes a step back and turns to Katniss.

"You guys failed."

"You told us that already." Peeta shrugs.

"You guys failed at distracting me." She looks back at Katniss, who looked utterly helpless, for the first time in a long time. Something clicks back into place. My brain starts working like it should. My heart skips a beat as I feel warmth and something like hope fill it again. A reason to live or at least a reason to sacrifice it.

I take a deep breath and start walking towards the two girls. One I barely knew anymore, the other provoking my motherly instincts in a bad way. I had an advantage. I knew that. Nobody really expected me to come back to reality. I was too busy off in depression land to realize what was going on. A sick feeling of guilt trickles into my stomach. Pulling out my dagger, my eyes grow wide with rage, against myself and Calaysee. I look at Gale in the corner of my eyes. He was smiling, but stayed silent.

"Would you like to say your good-byes?" Calaysee starts. My heart beat gets faster with each step I take, closer and closer to Calaysee's back. She didn't see me. Her companions were too busy smirking and watching the scene, looking at Calaysee proudly to notice me. Calaysee was too consumed with her need for revenge to notice my advance. Her back was vulnerable. "Well, guess what? You can't."

Calaysee raises her sword and was about to swing it using her right hand, which would probably cause Katniss to be, beheaded which Calaysee was apparently very fond of. Before she can though I break into a run and using that force I stab my dagger into her right shoulder. It cuts through her flesh almost like butter. I'm not sure what butter feels like to cut but I heard it's very soft and goes easily. Well that's how it went. Calaysee drops her sword and I pull my dagger out. Katniss still just blinks', making her look even more helpless, which gives me another boost in strength. I've heard of super moms but I'm not one. I'm just a mom.

Calaysee turns around, fairly unfazed, though her right arm hangs limply by her side. "I didn't think _you'd _be the person to do _that_!"

"I've been a bad mother, too consumed in my own depression, feeling helpless and bad for myself. My brain refused to work correctly. Then you make Katniss, my daughter, my eldest and only child left," I shudder involuntarily, "look more helpless than I am." I smile sadly at Calaysee. "You may have hurt her but you also sent me into these damn games. I have two reasons to kill you now."

"Whoa. Watch out! Calaysee looks mad!" Rory says. Gale grins at him while the others glare. He shrinks back, but holds his hammer out defensively still. Like older brother like younger brother.

Of course, Calaysee's face _was_ contorting in wrath, just like the younger boy had observed. I look up at the ceiling. Someone_ needs_ to scream now.

I scream. I scream and scream and scream. It makes me feel empty, but full at the same time. A paradox of feelings. The scream has everything, all the pain I've felt for the past 20 or so years.

That did the trick; the tunnels here were weaker than in the other parts of the arena. Dirt starts trickling in a mirage of waterfalls down from the ceiling and a loud rumbling noise can be heard. The ground starts shaking underneath my feet and I hold back a wave of nausea from the sudden violent movement.

I grab Calaysee and kick her over to where the dirt falling was enormous, the ceiling crumbling in on its self. Calaysee's group had almost all completely been covered in large brown rocks. Some of them are still struggling, but similar to quicksand that just makes their decent to death quicker. Undeniably, Calaysee grabs me and pulls me over to that side with her. The next part happens so quickly I barely even register what's happening.

Calaysee smiles as a large rock falls between us and Katniss. The tunnel is shrouded with darkness but dirt is still falling and now the whole tunnel was shuddering violently. Something hits me on the head. Another rock, I figure. I can barely think anymore. My emotions are knocked out of me leaving me numb.

Then I feel Calaysee's touch as she breathes heavily on me, lifting up my head.

"Good job. Now I can move onto Part 2." She whispers, almost hypnotically. Then she drops my head and I feel an enormous amount of pain start falling onto me. Then I hear a loud thump or a rock dropping next to me. I'm pretty sure it smashed into Calaysee's head.

I hope it did.

My vision starts to get clouded with black spots.

I think of my deceased husband. I love you.

Katniss. I'm sorry.

Prim. I miss you. See you soon, honey.

Gale. You'll go to hell if you hurt Katniss. I love you too though.

Peeta. Watch Katniss for me. Make sure Gale doesn't do anything stupid.

Katniss. I love you. I'm sorry.

Calaysee. I hope you die a horrible and painful death. I hope you die in this arena. I hope you die in this tunnel, alongside of me. At least do that for me. I hope you're already dead. I hope that rock killed you.

Now I'm dying. I'm okay with that. I feel numb.

I can't feel my legs. Is that bad?

It's hard to breathe. It's hard to think.

Katniss. I'm sorry. I love you. I'm very, very sorry.

I'm sorry. I really am.

And then all I see is black as I feel myself drifting away.

Katniss's POV

I didn't even know what was happening when my mother pulls Calaysee into the crumbling part of the tunnel. A large rock falls, creating another wall. The world must be ending.

I start running towards the rock, feeling panic surge through me. I feel like I'm drowning in terror. It's consuming me.

"MOM!" I howl, banging on the rock, forgetting all about my arm and toe and all the other aches in body. Paige pulls on my arm and tries to get me to get away from the rock. I know I should but my brain can't control the rest of my body. I'm drowning. The enormous amount of grief that is overcoming me is too much. Tears flow down my cheeks, mixing in with the dirt and blood smeared across it.

I'm sinking deeper and deeper. It's hard to breathe. A small crack trickles across the rock, but I doubt that was caused by my punching and kicking. My thoughts get cloudy.

I'm so stupid sometimes. I was too shocked and scared to move. My body had been frozen and that caused my mother that I said I hated to die. It wasn't true though. I never hated her. I just wanted her to come back. I just wanted her to come back, like I did with Prim and my dad.

That's a selfish want though. It doesn't have any usefulness. It's just a selfish thought many humans have.

We live too much in the past.

We live too much in the future.

Why can't we just live in the present?

I'm a hypocrite for thinking those thoughts though. We may want to live in the present but it's physically impossible for most of us. We lack the will power and easy-going nature to live entirely in the present. Plus our lives are centered around the future. It's hard not to think of it. Worry about it. Look forward to it.

Same goes for the past. It's hard not to feel guilty about it. Wish we had made different choices. Remember the good old days. I smile to myself slightly.

I stop fighting and just relax, my knees bending underneath me. I fall down to the ground and bang my fist against the rock one last time. I feel it. In my heart. Maybe it's just my imagination but I feel myself letting go of my mother. She's gone. I'm alone. I'm alone. I'm alone. Completely and utterly alone.

I turn around and look at my friends. Peeta. Gale.

I'm not alone.

I'll almost never be alone. I stand up again, feeling a new strength. The world was still crumbling around us. Paige leads me back to the group.

"We should go." I tell them.

"So we don't die?" Peeta offers.

"No _really?_" Rory says sarcastically. He slides his hammer into its make-shift sheath and breaks into a run. Paige, Sivan and Peeta aren't far behind. I give Gale a hand up, using my non-sore hand, though it was bloody from my violent thrashing on the poor rock.

"Sorry." I mumble.

"Why are you apologizing?" Gale gives me a strange look.

"I got us caught up in this."

"It's not your fault." Gale reassures me. I nod and we break into a run, following them. I try as much as I can to ignore my pain. I just had to get out of the crumbling tunnel. My tears have dried. I feel a new sense of reassurance and strength. I'm not alone.

The rocks fall behind the two of us quickly now, forcing us to sprint so we don't get hit. It would have almost been beautiful, the waterfall of brown, with flecks of black coal and silver and a few bits of gold.

The only thing was, this beautiful thing was trying to kill us.

That happens a lot, I decide. The beautiful things are the most dangerous.

**I was being very emotional. More than usual. Hmm. Lalalala. Okay there's one chapter. Off to write something else. Then tomorrow I'll write another. Okay that's boring. I'll save you my boring-ness. Go listen to Gangnam Style or something (Disclaimer: I do not own Gangnam Style or the Hunger Games. I only own original characters and the main plot of this fanfiction). **

**That was also boring.**

**I'm very boring at the moment.**

**Have you guys read, "It's kind of a funny story".**

**That's a good book.**

**Ellen DeGeneres's book is good too.**

**Ken Follet is cool. **

**The name August is epic.**

**I'm not bias at ALL. It's not like birthday is in August or anything. *Smiles sweetly***

**Okay bye! **

**P.S. I re-wrote this chapter 12 times. I couldn't decide on how to kill of Tansy, though I knew she had to sacrifice herself for Katniss. Killing Calaysee along with herself. Saving Katniss somehow too though. It was hard to write. But I like this edit. ^.^**

**Bye bye! For real this time. **


	47. Etna and Roma

**Hey-o! That's a cool way to greet someone. Hey-o! Helloooooo! Hi! Heyo! Hey y'all! Hey peoples! Nice weather, eh? (I hope. Unless you live in the Northeast of the USA or Southeast of Canada. Though I love snow :D Or Nunuvat. I feel bad for you if you live in Nunuvat (just a bit too much snow..) or Cape Horn… Poor three people that live at Cape Horn….)**

**Okay hey guys (back to sorta business) . You like the mass posting I've been doing? Hope so. I think I might post the epilogue really soon. Yay/Noooo! Wabi-Sabi! I like that term. It's the name in Japanese, probably the only language who has the word for this, for the beautiful feeling of depression and extreme joy at the same time. **

**Okay yep. This chapter: Here we go. Calaysee's dead… probably XD we have no idea actually at the moment.**

**Calaysee: MWAHAHA! AM I DEAD? OR AM I SOMEHOW IMMORTAL! I DON'T KNOW!**

**Me: I'm not THAT into fantasy/sci-fi. Relax people. For this chapter though… I'm gonna turn slightly Battle Royale(I LOVE THAT BOOK WITH ALL MY HEART! Yes strange. But it's an amazing story.) on you as I want to write another death scene. Not for anyone too special though. Just a boy and girl from District 6 that decided to leave the sanctuary and no longer safe room for the resistance. As you can guess. They die. We will get back to Katniss and friends after their deaths in this chapter for like 200 words or so. I just wanted to change it up slightly. **

Etna's POV

Trudging along the frozen river that reminded me of death has got to be the worst decision Roma and I ever made. Roma was carrying both of our backpacks and was looking much, much more determined to survive then me. His bright brown almost blonde hair was what I had been staring at when I heard a scream and then saw a bit of the wall in front of us collapse. Roma stops and glances at the wall before walking on. I instead felt worry claw at me.

My feet stop working, as if vines had grown out of the frost covered dirt. Roma didn't notice until a couple steps. He turns back around.

"Etna?" He asks.

"I…" I start but the rest of my voice was caught in my throat. This game was getting to me. My sanity was dripping away with every second I spent conscious in this arena. For the first time in ages I had had my old reoccurring dream again last night. I haven't dreamt it for a year.

My older sister getting reaped and sent to the games. My sister, Augusta, stepping off that cliff that she "didn't see". Her skull breaking on the impact, her body contorting in ways that it shouldn't.

I didn't want to believe my sister to be idiotic. She really wasn't. I also didn't want to believe that she had sunken so deep into depression or insanity that she chose death over life.

Though I didn't want too, I was starting to understand why she might have picked suicide. I was contemplating it myself at this point.

"Etna!" Roma whisper shouts at me, waving a hand in front of my face. I blink my way back into reality. I often daydream. I'm quite the opposite of my older sister. I'm weak. She was strong. I'm clumsy. She was crafty.

I'd be nothing without Roma, I realize. A guilty selfish thought pops into my head. I'm glad Roma was reaped with me. I won't look so weak with him around.

"Etna!" Roma whisper shouts at me again, taking a step towards me. He grabs my shoulders and shakes me. I hiccup. Roma rolls his eyes.

"Sorry."

"It's okay." He smiles slightly at me. That was a rare thing. He never smiled. Roma drops the backpacks and pulls out four daggers. He tries to rip off the wooden handles. I watch him, trusting him to do whatever. After a few minutes of him fiddling with the daggers, my curiosity has risen to a point where I can't hold it back.

I ask: "What are you doing?"

"Trying to make these daggers into skates." He responds.

"Why?"

"Skate across the lake."

"We'll fall in."

"No we won't. It's freezing. That's got to be some pretty weak ice if at its strongest it can't hold two 14 year olds."

I don't respond; just continue watching him painfully struggle at ripping the handles away from the metal part of the dagger. I bend down and reach for a dagger, trying to help. Roma snatches it away from me. "You'll hurt yourself." He explains.

There was so much truth in those few words that I don't try to protest. I hurt myself eating food once. Augusta was there and had helped me heal quickly. I missed my sister.

Getting bored, I take out our rare maps of half of the arena. It was a pretty bad map. I wouldn't be surprised if a 3 year old drew it. The lines were wavy and multi-colored. It was pretty hard to understand. I, though, try to make sense of it. My mind was all over the place when Roma taps my foot. I look up from the useless map and catch sight of his dark gray eyes.

"Take your shoes off." He commands. I take my shoes off and hand them to him. He takes them and goes back to work. I continue to read the inadequate map. It was an eccentric map, I decide. Only someone senseless would be able to understand it.

Roma soon after taking my shoes informs me that our skates were finished and should be fairly safe to use. I nod and take my shoes back; they now had sharp blades, somewhat in the center of the bottom of them. It looked pretty dangerous to use. I look back at Roma nervously. He must have read from my eyes my worries because he places a very cold but reassuring hand on my shoulder. "It should work."

"Okay." I nod. I place the shoes onto my feet. I hadn't realized it until now but both my toes and fingers felt numb. It was almost impossible for me to lace my shoes back up. I examine the blades again. The blade didn't go all the way through, just the sole of the shoe. Good bye good traction on ground. Roma stands up, balancing easily on the blades. He was an expert in everything. Or so I thought. Roma wasn't an expert in dying a nice quick death.

I stand up, me much more awkwardly. I hold my arms out trying to keep balance. I swayed all over before falling back down. Roma gives me a hand back up and leads me over to the river. I look over my shoulder. We were leaving our backpacks there. I wasn't sure how smart that was. What if the other side of the river just lead us to another deserted location.

"C'mon." Roma encourages me. "The river can't go on forever." That seemed pretty reasonable but didn't reassure my other worries. We slowly start making our way along the ice. I start to get the hang of balancing and tell Roma to let go of my arm. He does. I fall. Repeat. Like lather and rinse. Or turn on, check light bulb, turn off and take light bulb off and place it in the appropriate pile. That's what my job was. District 5 might deal with electricity but little did they know that gawky people like me manufactured the small export of light bulbs.

After a while of the lather and rinse process, Roma starts to get bored. He starts doing fancy techniques in the few seconds that I stay up on my feet without him. I didn't think that was a good idea. I fall and he comes to my rescue. The process changing to: I tell him I'm okay. He let's go of my arm and goes off, spinning and jumping. I fall. He comes back after a few seconds. I check for bruises. He helps me up and we keep going. Repeating the process ever so often.

After about 19 or so repeats, my body was hurting a lot from the strain. My hands had a couple bruises as well as my ankles and legs. I hold back my relief when I'm able to sit down on the ice. We had stopped because there was a yellow sign in front of us that stated: Warning! Mutts ahead! On the yellow sign there was a jabberjay outline.

"That's not good." I mumble.

"I think they're just trying to psych us out." Roma tells me after thinking for a few seconds in silence.

"Really…?"I say unconvinced.

"Really." He looks around. "They haven't made any mutts that could stand this weather."

I shiver in my winter coat. It had dropped about 10 degrees from the already cold river bank. My fingers were numb. My toes were as well. My hands, feet, nose, lips and eyes well on their way to numbness also. My ears though were somewhat protected from the cold. My hood was covering them.

"Okay." We head past the sign, me no longer needing Roma's help. He was still much faster than me.

I wasn't too far away from the sign when Roma got swatted to the side by a huge white bear that came running from the darkness ahead of us. I scream, falling down to the ground. Roma was scrambling back up to his feet when the ice breaks next to him. A large almost dolphin looking animal was there. It was black and white and had large sharp teeth. It looked deadly. Deadlier than the bear. It was at least twice the bear's already large size. My breath gets caught in my throat. My heart was racing faster than a mockingjay's wings can when being chased. Roma was on his feet now, oblivious of the huge hole in the ice and large animal behind him. He had pulled out a small knife but it would more than likely do nothing against the huge creatures.

A loud siren blares filling my ears and banging against my ear drums. I claw at my ears. It _hurt_. The bear seemed to get agitated by this sound and has started growling. It was staring dangerously at Roma. I was useless all the way back here with only the yellow sign.

I make my way over to sign and hug it like it was the only thing that could protect Roma and me at the moment. The bear pushing Roma closer and closer to the ice hole and large animal I didn't have a name for. They were working together. The bear looked pained, probably from the noise. I couldn't imagine what an animal with better ears than me must be feeling at the moment.

Roma threw the knife at the bear's shoulder, causing the bear to roar in outrage as a bloody streak crossed against its pure white fur. I might have felt bad for it had it not been trying to kill my friend. The bear breaks into a run; it's exceptionally sharp nails on its paws gripping the ice. That must be the special engineering it had gotten. Sharp claws that can grip ice. Roma's eyes were growing wide with terror as he skate's quickly and backwards towards his death. I close my eyes shut. I couldn't watch him any longer.

He screams. Roma screams and then he's quiet. My eyes jolt back open as I see Roma's body in the huge sea animal's mouth. It flips Roma up into the air and Roma does a flip in the air. Tears were forming in my eyes. Soon rage would fill my body and I was pretty sure my spontaneous and clumsy nature would cause me to die a similar way Roma did. Roma lands back in the black and white animal's mouth. The animal seemed to smile as it threw Roma's body around, causing it to rip in strange places. It wasn't going to eat Roma. It would much rather play with its prey.

I hoped that Roma was dead by now. I really did. The pain that he must be going through if he is alive at the moment must be enormous. The thought outrages me. I had felt bad for these mutts but no longer did I.

As I jumped up onto my feet and tried hopelessly to stay balanced as I skated as fast as I could to Roma's body's rescue, the bear turns around and walks away. I felt a bit ashamed and embarrassed by that. Did that stupid bear think I wasn't a worthy opponent? Instead of heading towards the killing animal I turn towards the bear and ram it. It howls and flips around swatting at my head. Oof. My breath is knocked out of my lungs. I reach for my shoes and throw them at the bear. It does nothing except anger the creature more. It lumbers towards me and grabs me by my winter coat hood. It flips me up. It flips me again and again before throwing me to the killer black and white marine animal. The animal catches me with sharp teeth and snaps my neck.

I die instantly.

The animal drops the body and lets it sink to the bottom of the frozen river where the body of the boy lays as well. Her tawny red hair falls around her face and frames it perfectly. The resemblance is astounding. Her face looks like an owl. She looks clever and wise despite her actions. The girl, Etna, could have been something amazing had she not been babied as a child by her older sister.

Etna and Roma just might have survived.

Katniss's POV

Our group was completely lost, hurt, depressed, hungry, dehydrated and injured when we finally decide we were a sufficient amount away from the blasts of killing machines the Capitol was trying to throw at us. From the tunnel there had been bombs and arrows and poisonous fruits. There was even a mutt, resembling a ferocious deer (if deer can be ferocious), that Rory hit on the head with his hammer.

When Peeta announces that we should be safe here, we all collapse on the ground. I was pretty sure my new found determination and confidence had all burned out from that run. My foot was probably even grosser looking now. Why did I care really anymore? I look over at Peeta's fake leg. Oh yeah that's why. I didn't want any fake parts in me. That just seemed too unnatural. They looked harder to manage and adjust to then just not having a body part.

Paige sits down next to me. Sivan next to Peeta. Gale on my other side. Rory next to Gale. We look at each other and slowly we start laughing. Me, hysterically. Sivan, Rory and Paige, nervously. Gale, full on laughter, almost like a maniac. Peeta just plain old laughing like he was remembering an old joke.

I could survive like this, I decide. I can survive without my biological family. Many people do don't they?

**Just a little Katniss part. I wanted to change it up like I said before. We'll just leave Katniss and people laughing for now. XD. They've gone slightly insane those three.**

**Or maybe me, their commander (:O that sounds official and important)/writer person for this story is the insane one. We'll never know.**

**Insane me: MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Pastaaaaaaa ~ Italy is cool. Ve~ So is Marco Polo and Hong Kong. **

**Me: *facepalm***

**Me that doesn't care: Okaaay. Let's get back on track. **

**The animals? Orca/Killer Whale (they should change the name to Killer Dolphin. Its name at the moment is confusing considering it's not a whale. Or maybe they don't want to hurt the dolphin's reputation… That's why it's a killer whale not dolphin… Hmmm.. let's ponder that thought for a second.**

**Dolphins: We're sweet and nice.**

**Porpoises: We're shy but nice and a lot smaller than dolphins.**

**Orcas: We eat sea lions and elephant seal babies. In the pacific, the types of us that are residents eat salmon. Sometimes we play with our food by flipping them in the air instead of just eating them. We can survive on either 4 elephant seals a week, 12 sea lions, or a ton of salmon a week per pod! **

**Dolphins and porpoises: O.O *swims away for little dear lives***

**Orcas: WHAAAT?**

**Me: Don't mind my extensive knowledge of these creatures that I love. I used to want to be a marine biologist before I realized I had to take blood samples using needles. *shudders*) Back to the subject at hand. The other creature was a polar bear. I like polar bears. I almost added a seal and killer emperor penguins (OR ADORABLE MAGELLAN PENGUINS AWW XD) too but that would get too wild I think. Okay yep. Bye!**

**You guys read this stuff right? I don't remember. In your review tell me if you do. At the end of this mass post or now. Just tell me ^.^ Thanks! Bye! **


	48. Lost

**Hey! Okay! I'm not sure what to say!  
>Wow… That's a first…<strong>

**Maybe I should just get writing…  
>Holy cow I think I'm going to do that.<strong>

**Let's make the most of the night like we're gonna die young! (It's night time at the moment… So that fits… XD)**

**Okay…I am! Thanks Ke$ha and you're really catchy song!**

**Chapter:**

Katniss's POV

We sit there laughing our heads off. I at one point slap Gale's knee. He glares at me for a few seconds before another laughing fit hits us all. The other three in are now party of 6, have inched their way away, from us and are now making small talk. We we're now sitting in a triangle.

I take a deep breath, along with Gale and Peeta.

"Today's been a pretty bad day." I say.

"Horrible." Gale agrees.

"Heart-wrenching." Peeta adds.

"Yeah…" I nod. I'm alone. I shake my head. I need to stop thinking that. I'm _not_ alone.

"One good thing came out of today." Peeta comments.

"Calaysee is dead. " Gale finishes for him. I nod, reluctantly.

I ask: "They're going to tell us who died soon, right?" My stomach flips. There hadn't been a single cannon sounding but that could mean there just were too many to count completely yet.

"Yeah." Peeta nods. "They should." He looks up at the dirt ceiling. As if on cue the Capitol anthem plays loudly though the speakers. Then the head gamemaker's voice rings through the area. We all freeze.

"Congratulations! Only a few of you are left! Though many of the bodies here can't be found, unfortunately. Or recovered. We're going to add something. If the body could not be found it will be listed next to their face. We're also going to start from the Capitol tributes and finish with District 1.

Tigris's face appears. My heart drops. Effie and Haymitch weren't on there but Plutarch's face was. Along with Portia and Flavius. All of their bodies have been found. I'm not sure if I'm thankful for that or not. All of district 13 is dead except for one 17 year old looking boy. Tansy is, as expected, the only one dead from District 12. Her body has not been found. District 11, all dead except for one little girl. District 10, all. District 9, all. District 8, all but an older looking man. What happened? What the hell happened out there? District 7, all except Johanna and her little brothers. I sigh, in relief. District 6, all. A girl who looks like a tawny red colored owl and a boy with dark gray eyes and light brown hair's bodies can't be found. District 5, all but one. I don't remember who wasn't dead.

District 4, all but Sivan and, after Sivan informed us, Dabble Hedgecutter. All of District 3 except for Beetee. Though most of them had, no body found, written next to them. Then we reached District 2.

All of them are dead and all of their bodies aren't able to be found. Surprisingly, Dixie as well. She probably sticked by Beetee and District 3. Then District 1. My heart thumps loudly. All of them are dead. All of their bodies are unable to be found. That somewhat eases my nerves but I really wasn't going to believe Calaysee was dead until I saw her dead body that had been tested and declared by use of DNA that it was in fact Calaysee's body. Gale cheers as well as Peeta.

"Congratulations few people still alive. I'm pretty sure you are all familiar with each…" Thistle starts but is cut off by loud gunshots. Everyone in the narrow hallway has frozen in place.

"What's going on?" I yell. "What's happening?"

Gale and Peeta both put a hand on my shoulders.

"Calm down. They're not going to respond to us." They say at the same time. I take a deep breath and nod. My stomach was spinning along with my head. I was feeling much, much weaker now that my body was coming back to reality. My mother was dead. I was injured all over and I was going to be stuck in this arena for who knows how long? Until my death? I lie down and close my eyes, letting the sounds coming through the speakers float away from my ears. Otherwise known as ignoring it.

The sounds disappear as I drift off to sleep. Part of me hopes I stay asleep. The other part doesn't even want me to sleep; afraid I never _will_ wake back up. My mind swirls with controversial thoughts.

"Congratulations few people alive!" Thistle exclaims again. "I'm pretty sure you are all familiar with each…" The gunshots come back. I open one eye. They were getting harder to keep out of my head. "Con-Con-Con-Con." That's when I realize it's just a recording. I open my other eye and look at Gale and Peeta. Both of their faces were contorting in confusion.

"What's going on?" Gale asks.

"I asked that a minute ago." I grumble. Gale glances at me apologetically. I shrug. Peeta watches while thinking carefully.

"It's a recording." Peeta says finally.

"No really?" Gale says sarcastically.

"You didn't let me finish." Peeta mutters. "I'm going to be optimistic here and say: They few rebels still out there stormed the Capitol and gamemaker station."

"That's a bit _too_ optimistic." Gale the pessimist objects.

"It's possible though." Peeta says, still being very optimistic.

"Possible but unlikely." I say quietly. I close my eyes again.

"This is getting quite annoying." Gale observes.

"Uh huh." I say.

Gale: "Yeah. Really annoying."

Peeta says: "This is very annoying."

Gale then yells, "You hear that! You're boring us to death!"

Peeta probably rolled his eyes. He replies, "We never said they were boring us to death. It's more like, confusing us to death."

Gale: "Very true my blonde friend."

Peeta: "Thank you my brown haired friend."

Gale: "Don't say that."

Peeta: "You started it."

Gale: "Whatever."

I open my eyes and chuckle. Peeta and Gale smile at me. Gale now had his arms crossed defensively.

The speakers change from, "Con-Con-Con-Con." to static.

"Like that's any better!" Gale yells.

"Yeah! What he said!" Peeta yells as well.

"What they said!" I yell.

We were getting strange looks from our companions.

"Do you think we've lost them to insanity?" Sivan asks.

"Maybe we have." Rory comments with wide eyes.

"They're showing many of the symptoms of loss of sanity-ism." Paige jokes.

I laugh at them too. Peeta does as well. Gale laughs quietly.

Finally, the static goes away and in turn a familiar voice that I never knew I would feel so relieved to hear appears.  
>"Congratulations! You've all managed to survive! You sparked a mini rebellion to overturn the corrupt government! We've been able to retake Panem!" Annie says happily.<p>

Even more surprising, Boggs is there cooing and ahhing.

"Shush, Boggs. I'm talking to my friends in the arena. You know the ones that saved your life? Yeah those. And your auntie Sivan. You like them." Annie coos, obviously not meant for our ears.

Gale coughs awkwardly.

"Maybe it wasn't Peeta, Gale and Katniss that lost their sanity…" Rory starts.

"Maybe it was Annie?" Paige finishes for him.

"My sister is not insane!" Sivan crosses her arms defensively. "ANNIE SHUT UP! WE CAN HEAR YOU!"

Annie sneezes.

"Bless you!" Paige yells.

We all give her strange looks.

"What! It's polite!"

"Never heard that term before…" I say, before looking back up at the ceiling unsure of where else to look.

"Me neither." Gale says.

"The Capitol is a strange, strange place." Peeta decides.

"Agreed." Sivan and Rory reply.

"Ahem!" Annie says with authority. "If I could have your attention again. Unfortunately, because of our untrained soldiers… we killed anyone who might have had any useful information."

"That was you!" An unfamiliar voice yells in the background.

"Shut up Soldier Barrel!" Annie yells at him. Annie was fitting in as her position as… whatever her position was. It was strange to hear her sound so happy for the first time. She was recovering immensely. Boggs starts crying. "Okay! I know how I can punish you! Hold Soldier Boggs for me!" There's a bit of a scuffle before Annie comes back. "Anyway…" she chirps. "…that means we have no idea where the arena is!"

"That's _great_." Paige mumbles.

I shift my weight and look down the tunnel. Just because the gamekeepers were dead it didn't mean that the arena was harmless anymore. Booby traps were everywhere. It was how the arena was designed. Deadly even without gamekeepers having to control it constantly.

"We're trying to figure it out… Yell, 'OH MY! MY ARM IS GLOWING', if it's glowing. You'll more than likely explode a few seconds later but we'll rush to your rescue. We found the control center for them but they don't display your location on a full map of Panem. Just of the arena. We can't hack into the system without Beetee's/your help." There's a long pause, as if Annie was listening to something. "You heard him guys! Go! Go! Go!" Annie says with authority. "Thanks Beetee! We'll need your help from here on out. The rest of you sit tight!"

My fists clench. I was thankful but… You can't just expect us to sit tight in a death chamber. I look over at Peeta and Gale. They were thinking the same thing.

We might have succeeded in bringing the government down but now we had to survive in the arena for who knows how much longer.

It wasn't much better than with gamekeepers watching our every move.

"Okay. Sorry.. uh…" Annie was stuttering as muffled voices in the background were explaining something quickly. It didn't sound good. "We uh… We… lost your signals all together."

**This time you won't have to wait long for this cliffhanger XD. Just click next! :D I'm liking this mass chapter posting. It's cool.**

**Okay.**

**Bye! **


	49. Soldier Barrel

**I made a short chapter with a cliffhanger for you that didn't really have much of a cliffhanger because I was nice and posted it like five seconds before this one! **

**I'm even nice and don't feel like talking much because I'm tired!**

**Yep! **

**So don't expect too much from me XD. Or you'll get me saying: I KNEW YOU WERE TROOOUBLE!**

**Sorry… I've been listening to Taylor Swift all day. Yesterday it was Ke$ha and Lana Del Ray. Today, Taylor Swift. She's cool.**

**Okay yep! Here it is:**

My heart drops, almost right out of my body. I sit back up straight and grab at the hem of my shirt. "That's not possible…" I say quickly trailing off.

"Sorry Katniss." Annie says quietly. "You can blame it on Soldier Barrel."

"HEY!" a voice of outrage protests in the background.

"Shush. You aren't helping!" Annie yells.

Rory's face contorts in pain as his fists clench up. He punches the dirt. Gale looks over at him worriedly. Peeta was closing his eyes and then re-opening, as if he was trying to wake himself up from the nightmare. Paige's eyes get wide. Sivan was glaring angrily at the ceiling.

"This joke isn't funny!" I yell.

"It's not a joke." Annie tells me.

"It is! You're probably all laughing back at the Capitol!" I growl.

"We aren't."

"You can't seriously say… that we might be stuck in this…" I wave my hands around,"… place for… forever?"

"Not forever! Oh no! I hope not!" Annie says.

"Try District 12 or 13." Gale commands Annie before I can start yelling at Annie again. I open my mouth then close it again.

"Interesting idea, Gale. Why?"

"Simple. District 12 because this looks a lot like some abandoned mines from a while back. Also it wouldn't be hard for them to just plan an explosion and cut of this part and hype it up with dangers. District 13 is a bit less likely. Only two small factors. One: Calaysee is from District 13."

"Mmhm. You guys getting this?" Annie says the latter part to the people in the control room around her.

"Two: District 13 is underground."

"That sounds highly likely." Annie nods. Or so I guess. "I'll send more people to District 12 but have a fairly even amount sent to both."

"Sounds good. Make sure you send some bomb squads."

"Oh yeah! Thanks for reminding me."

"They're probably going to be a ton. If possible could you walk me through the mission when you do find the entrance?" Gale asks.

"Sure! No problem! Help is always wanted and accepted. Especially by someone good at military things like this. I'm still adjusting." Annie probably smiles. Gale does anyway.

"Thanks."

I had been staring at Gale this whole time. I had completely forgotten how hard he had worked in the last rebellion. The larger one which had two threats. Coin and Snow. I sigh. The dangers of having one person in charge of so much were getting to us.

…

My nerves were finally dying down when everyone else had fallen asleep. I kept thinking about my mother. I was so stupid. I shouldn't have frozen. I can never freeze like that again. That was what I was thinking when Gale starts to stir. I glance over at him. He looked so peaceful asleep. I look over at Rory and Paige and Sivan and of course Peeta. They all looked more peaceful asleep.

Has anyone ever thought that we need sleep for not only energy recuperation but to just get a break from reality? To dream of impossible things that let's our imaginative sides blossom in a world of practical's?

I shake my head and yawn. It was true. No matter what, I tended to be at my most peaceful when asleep.

My stomach decides at this moment to start flip flopping. I don't sleep. I think Annie notices because she says, "Katniss..?"

Thankfully it doesn't wake other people but I don't want her to wake them up (and I don't want to take the risk of them waking up) so I just shrug and shake my head. Annie must understand and doesn't talk through the speaker.

…

Mutts attack us after breakfast. I let Peeta and Sivan take care of it. Sivan shoots most of them in the chest using her crossbow. Peeta throws his small amount of knives. These mutts looked like wolves. My head was killing me. My bones felt weak and all I felt like doing was curling up and sleeping. My mind refused to no matter what. Gale's eyes were red as if he had had a nightmare last night. I look at him worriedly. He shrugs. I nod reluctantly. Gale and I were at the back, practically dragging our injuries after the rest of them. Rory and Paige were full of 14 year old energy. I sigh. I wish I was 14 again. Then I could be out in the woods hunting with Gale. This whole Hunger Games fiasco wouldn't have happened yet. I pause. Maybe that isn't a good thing. I was a lot more cold-hearted back then and anyway, I'd have to deal with it all again.

I take a deep breath.

Sivan kills the last mutt. "We should keep moving." Peeta nods quickly. We start heading off once again. I start in the middle-ish front. After a few minutes, Gale and I are about 20 feet behind the group. Gale trips, I catch him with my injured arm. I fall down with him.

"You okay?" A male voice asks.

"Uh huh…" I grumble, pushing myself into a seated position. The group comes running back and start asking us a million questions. None of them I answer.

"I'm Soldier Barrel by the way. Technically I'm Rebel Leader Barrel but Annie took over and was so disgusted in my work that she sent me back down to soldier level." Barrel tells us.

"Ha. Annie can be like that when she sets her mind to something. Well… She was like that before she went to the Hunger Games." Sivan articulates.

"Well let me tell you… She's a monster." Barrel whispers the last part.

I try to laugh. I'm too tired. Gale and I are the only ones not laughing. Paige gives me and a hand. Rory gives Gale a hand. We stand up at almost the same time. Gale looks over at me and grins. At least his mind was fine. It was just his cuts and bruises, dehydration and lack of a good night's sleep. We keep moving.

…

About an hour later, Annie's excited voice fills the tunnels. "GALEEEEEE! GET A HOLD OF THIS! YOUR MIND IS GOING TO BE BLOWN!"

"Try me." He wheezes. We stop moving in a seemingly harmless hallway. I sit down and lean against the wall. Rory and Paige sit next to me. Peeta hands me a bottle of water. Sivan hands me a small piece of bread. I shake my head at the bread but Sivan insists. I eat reluctantly.

"We found the entrance to a secret underground tunnel!" Annie says gleefully.

"That's not too surprising in District 12."

"No…?"

"No." Gale tells her.

"Well…Guess what?"

"What?"

"This one has a picture of Katniss on the entrance."

I freeze in mid chew.

"Now _that_ is strange." Gale coughs out. I hand him the water. He drinks it thirstily.

"It was also out in the middle of nowhere! Your woods and such!"

"Hmm…" Gale says after pausing between gulps.

"You wanted the step by step details and everything, right?"

"Hmm…" Gale yawns and lets the now closed almost empty water bottle fall out of his grip.

"Gale…?" I ask, poking him, slightly playfully.

He closes his eyes. "Hmm…" He sighs.

"Maybe I should leave him be…" Annie decides.

I nod. "Good idea. He'll recover if you don't explain everything that's going on. He won't recover or be much help when he hasn't slept much."

"Right." I think she nods. There's a scuffle before Barrel's voice appears.

"Hey! Soldier Barrel's back on duty! Woo hoo!"

"Shut up Barrel! You're coming with me back to District 12." Annie's muffled voice yells.

"Fine. Fine." He starts talking back into the speaker. "Bye!" The speaker goes dead.

We were alone in the semi-light hallway.

…

Gale still hadn't woken up three hours later. I was starting to get the itch to keep moving. It couldn't be safe to stay too long in one spot. I poke him just to make sure he was still alive. He flinches. Good. He wasn't dead.

I don't really know what I would do if Gale died too.

I don't even want to think about it.

I shake my head and get rid of those nightmare-ish thoughts.

Rory yawns next to me. "Wish Gale would wake up."

"Leave him be." I mumble.

"You should sleep."

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"Too…" I trail off.

"Scared…?" Rory offers quietly. I hesitate before nodding slowly. "Yeah. I know how you feel."

"You do…" I say quietly. Peeta, Sivan and Paige were all asleep along with Gale. He shifts his head and leans against my arm. I stiffen slightly.

Rory grins at me. "I always knew it."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"You and Gale. I had this gut feeling that you would fall in love." He taps his stomach. "It never fails me."

I laugh quietly. "I guess we can trust your stomach then huh?"

"Yep!"

"Let's just not make your stomach our God or something… No religions should be made that worship your stomach." I joke.

"Aww!" Rory complains. "There goes by plan of Stomism."

"What kind of name is that?"

"I don't know. I came up with it 5 seconds ago."

"I can tell." I smile and Rory beams right on back at me. "Sorry for getting you mixed up in all of this."

"I'm not really angry." Rory shrugs.

"Really?"

"Nope. With anyone else I probably would have hit them on the head." He looks at me. "You no."

I pause. "Or Prim?"

Rory's eyes flash with pain for a millisecond before he responds, "Or Prim. No one could hit Prim on the head. She was too sweet."

"Very, very true." I smirk slightly and look at Gale from the corner of my eyes. "Or Gale. Once you figure out how his sweetness works."

"We have pretty epic siblings don't we?"

"I would say so, Rory. I have to say that we have the _best_ siblings."

"Incorrect." Rory protests. "_We_ are the best siblings."

I chuckle. Gale grunts. I chuckle some more. "I don't think you should heal that little ego of yours with so many compliments. You might turn out bad when older."

"Nah. I'll turn out perfect."

"See.." I point at him, "…that's what I'm talking about."

Rory shrugs. "Whatever."

"Yeah. Whatever." I shrug as well, forgetting about Gale. He gets pushed off my shoulder and teeter totters, his head heading for the ground on his other side. I jump at him, this time using my good arm. Of course I don't get a good grip and only manage to slow him down. I fall down with him for the second time today. We hit the ground lightly. Gale's eyes jolt open on impact. I'm startled by our closeness at first before feeling my heart flutter happily. His gray eyes are dull at first but once sleep gets washed away quickly they brighten.

"Hey…" I whisper. "Sleep well?"

"Slept horribly. Had an amazing awakening ." He grins at me.

I roll my eyes at him. "I'm not that amazing."

"You are…" He whispers. I blush slightly before leaning towards him and kissing him lightly. Rory gags. I pull away and Gale and I commence to untangle ourselves from out human knot we somehow created.

Once untangled I feel a new rush of drowsiness come over me. I look over at Gale, my stomach no longer flipping.

"Good night." He says softly. I nod drowsily as I try to keep my eyes open. I fall asleep, leaning against Gale's shoulder.

**Yay! Boring chapter XD. I didn't know what to write… Sooo yeah. I stopped there. Now time to go to bed! Bye bye!**

**I will upload the rest of the chapters soon. I need to edit them. ^.^;**


	50. So What Did We Miss?

**God… Sorry… I got a flu/cold. I don't really know. All I wanted to do was sleep and sleep and Zzzzzzzz. XD Sorry. I feel asleep there for a second. It's so weird to be wanting to sleep so much…**

**Meh.**

**Anyway, I was going to write another sub thing but I got too tired and depressed from writing it so I decided I wouldn't. It was an alternate ending to the battle between Calaysee and Katniss. Gale and people died. It was sad. **

**As per request from one of my reviewers. I'm going to explain stuff in this chapter! :D yay!**

I wake up abruptly, breathing hard. My heartbeat was racing but I couldn't remember why. A dream maybe? Yes, a dream. A terrible dream that involved Gale's death.

Gale opens one eye. "You okay?"

"Perfectly fine." I grumble, moving away from him slightly. My arm tingles as the blood flows back into it.

Gale doesn't look very convinced but I ignore his questioning look. I stand up and look around. Questions from the other day were still stuck in my head. What had happened to all those people? I was starting to believe that I didn't really want to know anymore.

"Hey Annie?" I yell, knowing everyone was up now.

"Yo?" Soldier Barrel asks. His voice is fuzzy. "I can't see you guys because I'm in the forest looking for that tunnel and such but I found the radio signal. It's pretty strong actually."

I raise an eyebrow but shrug. "Uh… Okay…"

"So what did you want?"

"Er…"I pause. "Have you figured out why there was a picture of me on that tunnel?"

Solider Barrel laughs softly. "Annie ordered someone to put a picture of you on the tunnel entrance to make it sound legit."

I raise an eyebrow. "That's… great?"

"She apparently has a gut feeling that this is an important tunnel though. You should see her face."

I nod. "Okay."

"I sorta need to go now… We found the tunnel…" He trails off.

"But I need to-"

There's static before a loud beep. I sigh. That probably meant he was gone. I sit back down on the ground. Sivan hits the ground with her fist.

"Damn it! I hope Annie's right about this!"

"Have more faith in your sister." Peeta tells her. "I'm sure she's gonna be right."

"Says the optimist." Sivan replies.

Peeta rolls his eyes. "I'm very proud to be the only person here who has a hopeful outlook on this."

I nod. "You can say that again."

Gale stands up. "We should move… The silence is bothering me."

Rory nods in agreement. "Y-yeah… It's kind of eerie."

Paige stands up. "Let's go then."

Everyone stands up and gathers their gear. I was feeling a lot better after the nap but my whole body still aches. My head was still spinning and my foot still hurt when I stepped on it, but I felt better. Less tired and sore.

Once again, Gale and I are in the back. We don't try to catch up this time. It was kind of nice just to walk in silence next to Gale. Almost comfortable.

Annie's POV

I gesture for the bomb squad to walk away from the sealed door. I was gripping the picture of Katniss in my right hand. It might have been a sad trick but I really felt like this was it. It had been covered with shrubbery and there were small patches of blood soaked grass around it. Not much but just enough to catch someone's eye. The bomb squad comes back in their… protective gear… and sit down in front of the small group. I was carrying a small hand gun in my left hand and I had started grit my teeth as the bomb squad was looking back at us. Everyone was ready. They click a button before the sealed door and the things around it blow up, shrapnel flying everywhere. We were just far enough for us not to get hit. I take off my headphones once the smoke clears away. "Is it clear?" I ask.

"Yes, sir." One of the men tells me. I nod, pulling my brown hair up into a high ponytail. That would prevent it from getting in the way. I really should have cut it before we left.

"Good." I stand up and walk towards the door, Soldier Barrel close behind. I inspect the new opening. There was a spiral staircase that looked fairly used as there wasn't much dust on it. The first couple of steps had been blown off but they were still usable. I noticed that the hallway would only be large enough for around one regular sized man to fit. It would be tight as well. I examine the steps, leaning down and pressing on them. They were fragile. Only a few people could go in with me. I stand back up and turn to the group.

"The staircase will only hold a few people. I'm taking Solder Barrel. The rest of you stay here and wait. Make sure that the door does not close no matter what. We have our tracking devices so you should find us on the map. If we don't return in 15 minutes, assume we are dead or in the arena. If we don't return in 1 day, assume we are dead." I nod at Soldier Barrel and we head down the staircase.

Katniss's POV

There was a muffled explosion that was bit ahead of us. I stop and shudder. Explosions were not something that I enjoyed.

"What was that?" Gale asks.

"Not sure." Sivan asks, folding her arms. She seemed to be in a sour mood for some reason.

I bite my tongue. "I'm hoping that's Annie."

"I bet it's the Capitol…" Peeta says nervously.

"You choose to be negative at a time like this?!" I exclaim in shock at Peeta. He smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry."

My stomach twists. _What if it is the Capitol? It's hard to just get rid of the government in one day… Unless… Unless this has been going on since we got in here. That would be that there would be at least 3 days of executing plans. That might be enough time. Everything has been ill-planned by Calaysee's semi-government. _

"Let's assume it's the Capitol." Gale grumbles through gritting teeth.

I nod. "Being cautious will probably save us in the end."

Rory nods as well, gripping his hammer a bit tighter.

Everyone was tense as we continued to wander around. The arena had suddenly gotten too quiet for my taste. Either it had given up or it was planning something. The latter was more likely than the first option.

We make a turn to the right when we notice a fragile crumbling staircase, with rubble lying around it.

"We have found the source of the explosion!" Paige says happily.

"Yep!" Rory cheers. "I bet we can leave if we go through up!"

Sivan nods, "Let's just get out of this damn place before some stupid mutts come and get us."

"What about Beetee, Johanna, her brothers, Effie and Haymitch?" Peeta speaks up. I purse my lips. We had forgot about them.

"We'll have to find them. We can't just leave them here." Gale announces. Peeta and I nod. The three others looked skeptical. I didn't blame them. We might never find this staircase again. I look back at it. There was silence for at least 5 seconds.

"What are we…" Sivan starts but was cut off by a flash of brown hair tackling her to the ground. Sivan screams. I pull out the dagger Paige had lent me.

"YOU'RE ALIVE! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOUR ALIVE! THANK GOD! I WASN'T HALLUCINATING YOUR VOICE! I DON'T HAVE TO SUFFER EVEN MORE! MY SISTER IS ALIVE!" The attacker sobs. That's when we all let out a sigh of relief. It was just Annie. Then shock hits me. Annie… Annie… Annie had come to save us. I look back at the staircase quickly.

In the staircase there was an average sized man with a soft jawline and eyes that shone with amusement. His eyes were a dark green, like evergreen trees. His hair was ruffled and matted. It was a dark cream color. His eyebrows were thicker than average. I assumed he was Soldier Barrel. He slides his handgun back into his pocket. "Nice to meet you too, Katniss." He greets me. My face turns bright red and I look away.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Soldier Barrel."

"Aww man, you figured me out." He says playfully, taking a step towards me and fingering my braid. Gale grabs my wrist and pulls me away from Soldier Barrel, shocking me. Suddenly he crashes his lips onto mine and pulls me closer to him. His arms a solid and warm support around my waist. Three seconds pass before he let's go and glares at Solider Barrel. He rolls his eyes at Gale.

"You sure get jealous easily." Soldier Barrel shrugs and looks over at Annie, smiling softly. Annie was poking an angry Sivan's cheek.

"My wittle sister is all grown up. Your big sister is here for you, Sivan!" Annie teases.

"S-Shut u-u-up, Annie!" Sivan exclaims, a bright red blush appearing. Peeta watches Sivan and I smile. It had hurt to let go, but we both had moved on. The scar separating had caused us both was completely forgotten.

Once our initial shock and greetings had finished, we all sit down on the ground. Annie passes around a bottle of fresh water for all of us. Soldier Barrel hands us Capitol made protein bars that were supposed to be extremely healthy. My empty stomach growls loudly and I eat the protein bar quickly. Barrel laughs and hands me another one. I eat that one quickly too. Barrel, to my dismay, says he can't spare me anymore. I gulp down the water carefully.

"So… What did we miss?" Rory asks.

Barrel's face darkens. "You don't want to know kid…"

"Now, now, Barrel. We have to tell the kid what he wants to know." Annie pats Barrel on the head. She beams and smiles. It was the first time I had seen her so happy since Finnick had died.

"My name's Rory!" Rory complains.

They ignore him. Barrel sighs at Annie. "Alright… We can tell them."

Annie nods approvingly.

Barrel takes a deep breath and starts. "They're all dead. This place… it's horrible."

_You think we don't know?_

"How they all died… Well… That's simple. After the incident with the poisonous daggers, everyone scattered. This was smart but idiotic at the same time. The small groups, slowly and one by one were killed off. Mutts, rooms that locked and filled up with water. Rooms that made you go insane and commit suicide. People falling into lava."

"Lava?" Peeta asks.

"A red liquid that is extremely hot and dangerous." Annie explains. Peeta nods. That must have been what I saw. A whole river of it.

"Beetee's extremely injured. As well as Johanna. Her brothers are fine however. Effie is traumatized and Haymitch is completely and utterly annoyed that this place has no liquor." Barrel finishes. "That just about sums it up."

… **THIS CHAPTER KILLED ME! I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO EDIT IT/ ADD TO IT! AHHHHHHHHHHH! I procrastinate too much. Anyway, heeeeere you go! Soldier Barrel's appearance is based off a dude who acts nothing like him… LIKE SERIOUSLY! Barrel's awesome while the other dude (who's name is Arthur) is all polite and such…**

**Arthur: I'd like another cup of tea please.**

**Me: *glomp* You're cute.**

**Arthur: YOU BLOODY GIT! GET OFF OF ME!**

**Me: *sobs and walks away***

**The end. **

…**. THAT WAS NOT RANDOM AT ALL *sarcasm*! **

**Bye!**


	51. A Small Copper Flame

**;w; You guys are truly amazing. I was going to write another fanfic that you guys will probably not understand unless you're an otaku (*hums*). But I got too many reviews so… I GOT MOTIVATION FROM THEM! MWAHAHAHAHA! I feel all powerful… hmmm…**

**Okay… I'll get to writing! :D**

I smile slightly at the comment about Haymitch. At least one of us had stayed the same. It was almost refreshing. I grab Gale's hand and squeeze. He looks down at our hands and a soft blush reaches his cheeks. I grin at him before looking back at Solider Barrel. "That's really it?"

He nods. "Yeeep!"

Annie hits him on the arm. "Don't be so cheerful!"

"Hypocrite!" Barrel shouts at her. "And owww! That hurt!"

"Hmph!" Annie turns away from him and sticks her chin up slightly.

"Hey… Sorry to break up this…" Sivan starts. "But… who has Boggs?"

Annie's face darkens and she sighs softly. Her mood completely changed. A dark blue aura of sadness and almost… hopelessness falls over Annie. "Finnick's friend."

"Which one?"

"Blue. You know her."

"Oh right… _her." _ Sivan wrinkles her nose. I could already tell that she didn't like this Blue person much.

"She's good with kids!" Annie defends and turns to Solider Barrel. "It's been more than 15 minutes… Should we go back just to tell them that we found them?"

"No. We should send them up but stay down here to find the others." Solider Barrel tells her. He blows a piece of stray blonde hair out of his face.

"Hey… Barrel… What's your first name?" Rory interrupts. They turn and glare at him. He shrinks back slightly.

Gale chuckles next to me. I roll my eyes at the two of them.

"Malec." He turns back to Annie, waiting for her response.

"We don't know how they'll react." Annie points out.

"But Annie…" Malec interludes.

"Shut up, Barrel! Our mission is to get them all out safely! To complete our mission we must accompany them all the way out!" Annie stands up. "We're getting of here."

Malec nods reluctantly. "Alright." Annie turns and glares at him. There's a moment of silence before Malec corrects himself. "Yes sir." Annie nods satisfied and ushers Paige and Rory out first, Barrel at the front. Then Sivan, Peeta, me and last but not least Gale. Annie follows. The steps were fragile and I was pretty sure that under any more stress the steps would collapse.

"Annie are you sure…?" I start but was cut off.

"Yes I'm sure!" She says, angrily. Her face contorts in distress and she rubs her temples. It had all gone wrong when Sivan had mentioned Boggs. Which in turns probably led Annie to think about Finnick. I couldn't blame her so I turn back to face the back of Peeta and slowly go up the stairs. My arm was sore and my toe was now pulsing violently. The spiral staircase was making me dizzy. I pause and grip the wall, my head in my free hand. I take deep breaths. A warm hand is placed onto my back. It's Gale's and it gives me a new burst of strength. I look back at him and nod thankfully. He grins. I continue my way up.

"OH MY!" Rory yells. "MY EYES! IT BURNS!" Gale tenses behind me.

"It's just the sun. Your eyes will get used to it soon enough." Barrel comments. His voice echoes down to us. I smile and push myself even harder now. Freedom was just around the corner. Literally.

A couple more spins around the staircase and my eyes started to burn and blotch from the sudden exposure of so much sun. I rub my eyes and groan. Gale ushers me forward. I nod but my muscles start to fail me and I trip. A cut appears on my knee.

"Catnip?" Gale asks worriedly.

"Fine." I snap. I was tired, uncomfortable and just wanted to get out. I didn't even bother worrying about anyone else for the first time in my life. For once in my life it was just about me. It was almost refreshing, had I not been feeling so desperate.

The last few steps were the hardest. My legs were sore. My eyes were practically useless as they were still getting used to the bright sun. I stumble up the last few and they crumble under my feet. I leap, squeaking in surprise slightly. Gale has stopped and stared in dismay at the steps. There was a good five feet between Annie, Gale and the exit. Annie peeks over Gale's shoulder.

"Knew it. This sucks." She monotones in annoyance.

Barrel walks back towards them and hands them a rope. "Just get the hell out of there. We're sensing vibrations and explosives. Gale scowls starts to pull himself up the rope. I collapse on the warm grass and close my eyes. My head pulses in pain and all my adrenaline was draining out of me. I start panting. My lungs start having difficulty breathing and I feel my tired mind start to float away from me, off to la-la-land again.

Waking up should never have been invented. I wish we could just stay in this magical dream state forever.

Of course that would get dull after a while.

But still, whoever invented waking up should have been executed. It sucks.

Of course if you wake up to a sweet smile and pale gray eyes that were full of love and happiness. Sweet lips that whisper in your ear, "We're free." And "I love you, Catnip." It makes it suck much, much less.

I hum slightly. A tune from my dad. Gale rolls his eyes at me. I close my eyes again. I was lying on something soft. There was something in my arm but it didn't really bother me. Warm blankets covered my cold body. I curl up tighter.

"How are you feeling after surgery?" Gale asks me quietly.

I pause. What…? They… what? When did I have surgery? I open my eyes again. "Surgery?" I ask. Gale had better be lying.  
>His furrowed eyebrows don't ease my nerves. "You don't remember?"<p>

"No…?"

"They had to operate on you arm." He points at the arm that didn't have something in it. "Something about an almost complete compound fracture? I'm not sure." He shrugs. "Also you can't use your bow for a while. You've got a stress fracture in your shoulder." He rolls his eyes at me. "You're going to die from that aren't you?"

You nod slowly. "I sure am, Gale." I say sarcastically.

"Tell you what…" He mumbles. "If you don't touch a bow or complain about not being able to shoot for a month… I'll give you a present."

"What kind of present?" I ask curiously.

"You're just going to have to wait and see."

I pout but nod. "Fine. I accept your challenge."

"Good." He grins at me. "This is going to be fun."

"Shut up, Gale." I roll my eyes at him. His face gets serious.

"Catnip…?"

"Hmm?" I ask.

Gale takes a deep breath. I could see him swallow. Dread, or was it excitement, clawed at my stomach. "I can't afford to lose you. I love you Catnip. I love you more than anything. Nobody and nothing could ever replace you." He bends down on one knee away from my hospital bed, takes another deep breath and pulls out a small necklace with a small copper flame. The band of the necklace was made out of leather.  
>"What?" I blurt out. Gale's face reddens.<br>"Well, I don't exactly have a big enough finger to put a ring on it." He holds up his hand and I see the ring finger that is only half there. I wince and suck in a breath.

"What happened?" I ask.

"Had to be removed." Gale says simply. "Don't forget that I got pretty banged up too, Catnip."

"What about the other hand?" I ask him. Gale looks at me puzzled. I feel my face heat up as I realize that I shouldn't have asked that.

"What... you don't know... oh wait sorry I forgot you didn't learn Marriage studies since you left school early." I nod and he continues to explain. "If you put on the right hand that means you have had a divorce with the person you married."

"Oh. It sounds familiar. "

"You sorta ruined the moment back there. Again."

"Well, I'm sorry. I just..." I stutter.

"I know. I know. But I had it all written out and then you just interrupt me."

"I said I was sorry." I pout. "I'm just..."

"Nervous? Be in my position. I'm the person actually proposing."

I let out a quiet laugh while Gale smiles at me.

"Katniss... I love you."

"Love you too, Gale."  
>"We've been through so much...This might be the last peaceful moment we have…" I stare at Gale. His eyes are full of love. And that's when it hits me how much he meant to me. He was the universe to me. Everything. He meant more to me than even Prim had been. I sigh and pull Gale's lips onto mine.<p>

He smiles against my lips and whispers, "I'm going to take that as a yes."

***fangirl squeal* MWAHAHAHAHA! I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!**

**Hahahahahaha… I'm insane… Okay… Yep..**

**3 **

**Bye! **


	52. We Can't All Play Hero

…**. *rips hair out* I'M SO SORRY! I BROKE MY PROMISE TO PEOPLE! I SAID I WAS GOING TO WRITE STUFF EVERY OTHER DAY BUT I DIDN'T AND aldjnsfalwdsansdk. I'm sorry. D: **

**My friend and I made a blog by the way: thirdhandbookstore . com. Please check it out! :D**

Annie's POV

The growing depression was sneaking up on me once again. I sat down on the chair and started rubbing my temples. Boggs was asleep in the other room. It was past midnight and I couldn't go to sleep. Nibbling on my lip slightly I check the clock. It was 1:59. There's shuffling coming from the hallway but I was too deep in thought to care. The door to the small break room swings open and I hear footsteps, walking towards the chair next to me. I keep my eyes on the clock away and away from the door.

"You know…" The person in the room tells me. "You should really be in bed right now." I glance at Barrel from the corner of my eyes. I don't reply. A sigh emerges from his general direction. "Now, don't give me the silent treatment."

I blink and look straight at him this time. He smiles at me, eyes wide and dimples showing.

"I'm not. I just… didn't want to talk to you." I respond softly.

"Same thing, Annie."

"I'm Odair to you, Barrel." I respond, folding my arms. He rolls my eyes at me.

"Aww, come on, Annie. I thought we were on a first name basis."

"No. We aren't."

"Why are you so cold?"

"I'm not."

"You are."

"Boggs doesn't think so."

"He's two years old."

I open my mouth to retort back but I can't think of how to respond. Instead I turn away from him and feel a couple tears start to fall down my cheeks. Barrel sighs.

"Don't start crying…"

I start crying.

"Oh man! Come on! I just told you not to cry!"

I shake my head and start wiping away my tears but they don't stop. For some reason, I can't stop thinking about Finnick. He keeps popping into my mind, with his sunset orange hair and warm sea-green eyes that used to look at me with so much love. I thought I had gotten over this. Apparently, I hadn't. I hear Barrel shift in his seat. I can feel how uneasy he is at seeing me cry. I expect him to try to comfort me. I'm glad he doesn't. It would be a waste of energy; his words would just float through me.

The next morning, I'm up at dawn. I've already taken a shower; eaten breakfast, gotten dressed and am waiting for the rest of my patrol to get here. Barrel is frowning as he looks at the security feed that was being broadcasted from the Capitol to us. I look over his shoulder and furrow my eyebrows.

"What's wrong?"

"Can't find Beetee. Or Johanna. Found one of her brothers, not the other." He taps the screen to in the top right corner.

"What about Haymitch and Effie?" I ask, worry forming a small ball in my stomach.

"They're fine. I had someone navigate them towards the exit last night. They shouldn't be too hard to find."

I nod, and step away from Barrel as the rest of the patrol files into the room. I open my mouth to inform them about the situation at hand when there's a loud beeping coming from the screen and Barrel's radio. I flip around and I see Barrel's face fall.

On the screen, background flashing in red, is the name, "Beetee Dobbs". I run a hand through my hair.

"What the Hell does that mean, Barrel?"

He doesn't respond.

"WHAT DOES IT MEAN?" I yell.

"He's…" He turns around and faces me. "He's dead."

"He…He can't be _dead._" I say after a moment of silence.

"He is." Barrel says, spinning around in his seat to face me. "He is, Annie. He's… dead…"

"No. Not dead!" I yell. "Just asleep!"

"Dead, Annie." Barrel repeats.

I stay silent, turning away from everyone so they don't have to watch small salty tears flow down my cheeks. I shake my head and wipe away my tears, taking in a deep breath. "We can still save the oth…"

I'm interrupted by another loud beeping and the screen turns red again. Barrel's face pales as he spins back to face it. This time "Johanna Mason" and "Steve Mason" were displayed on the screen. A chocked sob comes out of my mouth.

"We're idiots aren't we!" I yell. "We can't all play hero!"

"Annie, we saved Kat…" Barrel starts but I cut him off with more yelling.

"WHO CARES? WE COULDN'T SAVE THEM ALL! WE FAILED! WE FAILED! Just like how Katniss failed to save Finnick…" I add the last part quietly. Barrel reaches out with his hand but I brush him away. I was slowly feeling numb once again.

I turn to face the door, about to stomp out of the room. I spot Sivan, in her hospital gown, with a small bundle in her arms. Sivan is standing in the doorway. She's smiling sadly at me. Upon closer inspection, Boggs is the small bundle. I stumble over to her, leaning against her and sobbing my heart out. Boggs starts crying as well. I take him from Sivan and feel my knees fold underneath me. Then slowly, the world fades away and my small sobs turn silent.

_Finnick. I miss you. _

I sit, silently in the break room. I have been sitting here for a few hours. Barrel told me he could handle getting Effie and Haymitch along with Choux, Johanna's little brother. Nobody's dared coming into the room. I haven't felt like saying a word. There's no point really to say anything. Boggs is still in my arms. The startling resemblance to Finnick keeps breaking my heart. I push a strand of his ginger hair out of his face. He had long fallen asleep.

The door creaks open. I don't look over.

"Annie…" The voice whispers calmly. It's Katniss. I blink in shock. "How are you?"

I don't respond. Katniss makes her way over to the chair. The same chair Barrel had sat in last night.

"Barrel got Effie and Haymitch. Choux is fine as well." Katniss informs me. I look over at her. She's wearing a new necklace. I frown. It was probably from Gale. Katniss leans forward towards me. "Annie… I'm sorry."

"For what?" I snap.

Katniss's lips twist a bit. My frown deepens.

"… For letting Finnick sacrifice himself."

I hold my breath.

"I should have stopped him. I should sacrificed myself. I should have…" Katniss shakes her head, wiping away a stray tear. "There's no use in crying or regretting. We can't change the past." I'm not sure if she's talking to herself or me. Katniss stands up quickly. "Gale and I are getting married. Soon, Annie. As soon as we get back to District 12."

I look over at her and nod. "Congratulations."

Katniss's face flushes and bows her head. "Thank you." She looks back up and smiles slightly. "We wanted you to come."

I sigh. "I'll try."

Katniss smiles again. "It would mean a lot."

I nod, already knowing I wouldn't go.

There's a crash outside. "GIVE ME SOME DAMN LIQUOR!"

"Sir! You need to calm down!"

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN UNTIL I DRINK AWAY MY SORROWS! GIVE ME SOME LIQUOR!"  
>Katniss rushes to the door. She pauses and looks behind her.<p>

"Thank you Annie." She opens the door and runs out.

I frown, confused on why Katniss said thank you.

**Ta daaaaah! I think the next one might be the epilogue! At the most 2 more chapters. It's so close to the end. I'm going to start writing the next chapter soon! :D After my dentist appointment! D: **

**Okay! Thanks so much for reading. **


	53. 5 Years

**Hallo! I've been really busy… Sadly…But it's March Break so I might have enough time to finish this series this month… Maybe… Not sure. OKAY! TIME TO WRITE :D**

**Except I'm going to reply to an anonymous review yaaay!**

**Lily:  
>asjalsdijhfjdliwands You're too nice. I'm sorry. I don't deserve your praise. *hugs* <strong>

**It actually took me… forever to update XD Anyway, I'M NOT PLANNING TO LET THAT HAPPEN AGAIN! :D**

**(Inner me: But it's going to happen if you say you aren't or are so whatever. Don't make false promises.**

**Other me: B-but… I WILL THIS TIME I PROMISE *sobs in corner*)**

**WRITING TIME :D (I'm insane aren't I?):**

Katniss's POV

Hand entwined with Gale's, I sit patiently on the hovercraft. It had been two weeks since everyone had gotten out… Well, not everyone. I shudder a bit. Gale looks over at me, eyes full of worry. I shrug and squeeze his hand.

Wait, where was I? Oh right, not everyone had gotten out. Beetee, Johanna and Steve had died. Choux refused to explain how but according to the records Beetee died from a mutt and Johanna and Steve died from a cave in. I don't completely believe that but decided it might be better for it to remain a mystery.

We had been transported by hovercraft to District 13 so they could tend to our wounds. My arm almost didn't make it. They say it'll never work the same way as before but it's still usable. It's hard to feel anything in it anymore but I guess we all have to get battle scars don't we?

Peeta, Rory and Haymitch are on the hovercraft with Gale and I. Effie went home to the Capitol, along with Paige as she was needed in a hospital over there. Annie and Sivan went to District 4. Choux went to District 7, hoping someone would help him out as many there had liked Johanna, whether they openly expressed that when she was alive is another story.

Once we had arrived, a stressful mixed mood of angst and glee was filling up the hovercraft. Rory was jumping up and down in his seat. Peeta was unable to focus on anything. Haymitch was complaining about how alcohol wasn't allowed on the hovercraft. Gale was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. I had let go of Gale's hand was folding my arms. I was feeling a bit too hot and felt my chest get tight.

The door was opened and, thankfully, no one except Hazelle, Grease Sae, Posy and Vick were there to greet us. All of a sudden, the anxiety of arriving disappeared and I rushed to get to the door. I wanted to go home and sleep in my own bed. I wanted to go back to how life was.

Then I realized how childish that sounded and mentally slapped myself.

There was no "how life was" anymore. That life was gone. It was buried underneath a pile of rocks in the woods somewhere outside District 12.

I sigh to myself. Gale stands on my right, hand on my shoulder, small smile flickering onto his lips. Peeta slowly walked to stand on my left and smiled down at me. I smile back slightly.

I take a deep breath before Gale, Peeta and I start walking out of the hovercraft. Rory runs past us, straight into Hazelle's arms. Gale snickers a bit. Rory turns around and barks a couple insults in Gale's direction. I laugh and Peeta smiles in amusement. Even Posy was giggling sweetly, watching Rory hug his and her mother.

Vick pokes Rory, "Did the Games make you soft, Rory?"

Rory shakes his head, eyes puffy and face red. "No."

Vick blinks for a second before smiling at Rory and Hazelle. Haymitch stumbles out of the hovercraft, walks up to Greasy Sae and demands her for some liquor.

She slaps him. "I don't care if ya just came back from that death hole; ya need to stop drinking so much!"

Everyone starts laughing, except Haymitch, who just stands there looking at Greasy Sae completely and utterly dumbfounded. Finally, he sighs and smiles a bit, nodding at Greasy Sae and walks off towards the Victor's village. Back home.

Peeta nod to me and runs to catch up with Haymitch. Haymitch shrugs at him and they start talking. I smile and watch until I can't see them anymore. Sighing, I walk down towards everyone. Gale was talking to his siblings, wide animated gestures being thrown about, and small fits of laughter exploding from them.

Hazelle was watching proudly, of to the side. I hadn't registered the fact that Greasy Sae had moved to stand next to me.

"Glad you're back, honey."

"Glad to be back." I answer, looking over at the older woman. She glances at my necklace before looking back at me.

"Pretty thing you've got there…"

"Not trading it for soup." I say instinctively. Greasy Sae lets out a quick chuckle.

"Let me guess…. Gale gave it you?"

My face turns a bit red and I look away from her for a second. "Yeah… He um… actually proposed."

The grin that Greasy Sae put on her face scared the hell out of me.

"I knew he would! I knew it! I knew that one day that boy would get down on one knee and propose!" She cheers happily.

I glance at her, a bit worried for her sanity. "Y-you did?"

"I think this whole damn district expected him to propose sooner or later. I mean, you two sure are famous. Though some people thought you two were siblings. How wrong were they?"

"You're… quite talkative today, Greasy Sae."

"Uh huh. Uh huh. You know, we used to place bets on when he would propose? Everyone was wrong! Except one person. Guess who?"

"Um… Haymitch?"

"No. Wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. Why would you even guess him? He didn't care who proposed to who or when and he never came to my stall. He always went to go buy liquor that damn blasted drunkard of a man."

"Yeah. I get it. So who was right?"

Greasy Sae throws me a crooked smirk and says smugly, "Me. I said in 5 years, the year of the 74th hunger games. Guess how many years it's been! 5! People owe me a lot of money."

I probably should have been angry that people were betting on when Gale would propose to me but I couldn't get mad at Greasy Sae. She just looked so happy and proud. I smile at her, not really paying attention to the old woman's rambling. Gale has walked up behind me and I look back at him, grinning.

"Did you know people were betting on when you would propose?" I whisper ask.

Gale smiles sheepishly at me. "Heard rumors about it…"

"So, yes. You did know."

"You paint me as the criminal in this situation!" Gale pouts and I laugh a bit.

I yawn.

"Want to go home, Catnip?" Gale asks. I nod, sleepily. I hadn't noticed, but I guess I should have figured from my lack of sleep, how exhausted I was. It had all finally caught up with me.

He takes my hand. I wave with my free one at Greasy Sae, Hazelle, Posy, Rory and Vick. They were heading back towards the Seam. Gale and I, slowly make our way to the Victor's Village, following the same path that Haymitch and Peeta had taken only a few minutes earlier.

The walk was shrouded in silence.

A good silence though. A calm one, full of peace.

Like the woods on a summer day.

Or the lake, when it's frozen in the winter.

Or the trees in the autumn, when there aren't any leaves to rustle with the wind.

Or the meadow in the spring, full of the fragrance of new life.

I smile to myself at memories of each one of those places, all of them with Gale. Looking over at him I feel an overwhelming sense of pride and love. A small scar ran down his temple, only visible if you looked for it. I frown a bit and look down at my feet.

By the time we reached my house, I was even more exhausted then before. I pull out the spare key from under the door mat and unlock the door. I barely make it to the couch before I feel my eyes fall shut and sleep take over.

I have just enough time to hear Gale whisper, "Sleep tight, Catnip. I love you."

**Pointless chapter is pointless. .**

**The next chapter shall be the wedding. Yaaaaay. *fangirl squeal***

**Then it's the epilogue. It's decided. The epilogue shall be chapter 55. YESH! A PRETTY NUMBER! :D  
>I didn't even plan it that way. XD<strong>

**Okay, bye~! It's 11:54 p.m. And I'm supposed to be asleep but I'm gonna go write a new story I just thought of. BYEEEEEEE~!**

**P.S.  
><strong>**Anyone want to make a better summary for this story for me? It doesn't really fit for what the story is about anymore. I made it before I even thought about making a "Calaysee" character. I think it's about time that I make a new summary. (Like I said I fail at it. I'll give you a oneshot of your choice if you give me one that's really good. {wait to bribe the readers, Moss})**

**P.P.S**

**Also, I was reading reviews yesterday and I realized something...**

**I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY ANYMORE TT^TT You make me tear up. Call me overdramatic, a crybaby or cheesy idiot or whatever you want but you honestly don't understand how much you guys mean to me. every. single. review. favorite. and. follow. makes. me. want. to. cry. tears. of. joy. and. bake. cookies. and pie. and. give. candy. to. little. kids.**

**... I don't know what happened there. - My teacher would kill me for the bad grammar. Anyway, LOVE YOU (in a non-romantic/weird/idk... Please don't think I'm weird for saying that... I just er... Ti amo? Ich liebe dich? Te amo? Je t'aime? Watashi wa anata o aishiteimasu? Is brea liom tu? Wo ai ni?**

**(Don't ask why I know how to say that in so many languages... I'm not sure how I do either...) **

**See you!**

**(I'm craving Watermelon... *Coughs* inside joke, reader. *Coughs*)**


	54. Best Wedding Gift Ever

**Hey! I'm on an airplane writing this. :D**

**Yeah, I don't know.**

**Lily: Yay! Thank you so much for reviewing again. Hahaha, and I've been writing this for a little over a year… O-O so yeeeah. XD hehehe, thanks. Being random is epic and awesome. Haha, I get less sleep because of it too... I stay for a while when I decide to write a chapter... It's my best ideas time. **

**I WILL! :D Another sort of Galeniss one. It's going to be of when they were kids and stuff... Mainly a bunch of oneshots but I'm looking forward to writing it. Also.. THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEQUEL MWAHAHAHAHAHA :D**

"Merooow!" is what I'm woken up to. I rub my eyes in annoyance as I feel something sharp scratch against my arm.

"Ow!" I yell my voice a bit slow still from sleep. Once my eyes focus I realize what woke me up.

Buttercup keeps hissing at me.

"Damn cat. Why don't you die already?" I say, almost joking. Buttercup just let's out one more hiss before jumping off of the couch.

I push myself up into a sitting position. There was the smell of something cooking coming from the kitchen. _Cheese Rolls._

Standing up, I trudge slowly towards the kitchen. Peeta is near the oven, taking off oven mitts. Gale was sitting at the breakfast table, cup of coffee in front of him.

Haymitch was standing by the window, holding a small glass full of an almost clear liquid. I mentally sigh.

"Good Morning…?" I ask, confused at why so many people were in my kitchen. A laugh comes from down the hall towards the guest room. "Why… Are so many people in my house?"

Gale looks up and grins at me. "No reason Katniss."

I glare at him and then decide to put the pressure on Peeta. He lifts his hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me. I barely know what's going on here myself." Peeta smiles slightly, so I cross my arms and pout.

"Why are you making cheese rolls?" I question.

"What? I can't just make cheese rolls in your kitchen for no reason?"

"No…" I say quietly. Gale laughs a bit. Haymitch turns around and raises an eyebrow.

"Oh by the way… Don't go into the guest room." Gale tells me. At the mention of this I go straight towards the guest room. As I leave I hear Gale whisper, "Told you that would work."

I swing open the guest room and am met with Effie, Annie, Sivan and baby Boggs (who was there only because of Annie) fawning over something. Effie was wearing a startling pretty red dress. A flowing mesh fabric was splattered with gold sparkles and fell behind Effie. The dress itself was a crimson red and landed just above her ankles. It was strapless. The dress had many different layers and suited Effie's new hair color of dark pink, as well as Effie's general personality.

Sivan on the other hand had a very dark red dress on. It was much simpler than Effie's and looking a bit older and more… "vintage". It landed just above her knee. It had a small corset on top; a small gold ribbon had been tied into a bow on the back. The second part of her dress was a puffy skirt, which as aforementioned, landed just above her knees.

The most astoundingly beautiful dress had to be Annie's. The dress's primary color was soft orange, like the sunset, that was almost glowing. The simple dress fell down to the floor in a waterfall of different shades of the base color. Some sparkles that twinkled with the light and some that were a tie-dye frenzy of different shades. To accent all of this was a pendant necklace that landed just over her collar bone. The pendant was a small sea green jewel, in the traditional gem shape.

"W-What's this?" I ask quietly, thoroughly surprised that people who were supposed to be in different districts were standing in my guest room.

Annie looks over and smiles brightly. "Congratulations!"

Sivan nods as well. "I brought my camera to take pictures."

"And I brought my wardrobe." Effie nods as if that was an accomplishment. "However these two, along with Gale, said you would much prefer the one they chose." She lifts her nose towards a simple white dress that was lying on the bed.

"They were right…" I trail off as I see a dark green dress off to the side. "What's that dress?" I ask, pointing over there.

"Oh, we found it in the closet." Sivan tells me. I frown and walk over to it. It looked familiar but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Why are we looking at dresses anyway?" I ask, rubbing the dresses thin fabric between my fingers.

"Surprise!" They all cheer. "We're having your wedding in 5 minutes!"

You almost faint. "W-W-What?"

"Gale planned it all so don't worry. It's all set up in the backyard." Annie smiles at me happily. "Plus, Peeta baked the cake."

For some odd reason there were butterflies in my stomach and… er… something was in my eye. Yeah, I'm not crying. I just have something stuck in my eye. That's right. I start rubbing my eyes but the tears keep flowing down my cheeks.

"Aww sweetie, what's wrong?" Effie asks.

"N-Nothing. I've never been happier in my life." I whisper, my back to them. I had a wide smile on my face as I stared through my misty tears at the green dress. "Could you leave me alone for a couple second?"

They silently nod and exit the room quietly. I pull on the green dress, sliding my hands through the spaghetti straps. It fit oddly well. Spinning in a small circle, I watch myself in the mirror. I nod, fingering the necklace that Gale gave me. Then I remember something. Leaning down, and fumbling through my clothes I find my Mockingjay pin. I rush out of the room and into my own bedroom. I pull open the top drawer in my wooden dresser and almost start crying again when I see the small white ribbon that I used to use to tie Prim's hair when she was younger. I pull it out, push the drawer closed and pin the mockingbird onto the ribbon. Slowly and carefully I tie it around my hair, into a loose ponytail. I smile at myself in the mirror for a second before turning around.

Gale is standing in the door way. "You look beautiful."

"Oh shut up, Gale." I grumble, despite my pink face.

"I mean it. I did pick out the dress after all."

"You picked this dress?"

"I thought you'd look better in green rather than traditional white."

"I agree."

"You'd look beautiful in either color though. He grins at my flustered face. There's a small pause. "Your turn."

"My turn?"

"Yes your turn."

"For what?"

"To give me a compliment. You owe me at least one."

I roll my eyes and say, "You look absolutely _smashing_ in that black tee and in those cargo pants."

"Why thank you." He takes my hand and pulls me out of the room. He leads me downstairs and out to the back. There are only a few people there but enough to bring tears of joy to my eyes once again. Greasy Sae was chatting away with Soldier Barrel. Haymitch sat angrily next to Effie. Paige and Rory were talking happily, knees touching they were so close. Vick was chasing Posy around. Hazelle talked to Annie. Sivan was sitting and smiling next to Peeta.

"It's small."

"That's good, right?"

"Perfect, Gale."

"Thought so, Catnip."

The ceremony went by quickly, ending with Gale and me kissing. Then everyone helped themselves to cake. Haymitch started drinking and everyone talked amongst themselves. The chatting went on for a bit before Gale stood up and announced the official part of the after-wedding would start.

He grabs me and spins me into his arms, grinning. "Ready to make some bread?

"Nope!" I exclaim.

"Oh, don't be negative."

After a bit of struggle and help from Peeta, our bread finally comes out… normal-ish looking. I mean, it was probably edible. Gale and I walked back outside. I was holding the bread proudly. Once all eyes were on me again, I felt self-conscious about still wearing ratty sneakers.

"Now, making a fire. Easy-peasy."

"Not the first we've made together." I reply.

"Uh uh. That's why it's going to be easy."

Gale and I grab supplies from the woods nearby, after climbing over the fence, and return. We make the fire quickly and efficiently. Once finished, Gale rips the bread in half, handing me back one of the halves.

"One…" Gale says.

"Two…" I grin.

"Three!" We say at the same time and throw the bread into the fire. There's quiet cheering but I'm not really paying attention because Gale has pulled me over to him and pressed his lips onto mine.

After a couple seconds, I push away with a red face.

"Hey Sweetheaaaart!" A voice slurs, he was walking towards us. I sigh, he was obviously drunk. "I-I haaave a wedding present for you…" Then Haymitch bends over and throws up on my ratty sneakers. _Thanks Haymitch. Best. Wedding. Gift. Ever._


	55. Epilogue

I pick up a pen and take a piece of paper from the small desk in the study and pause, unsure of how I should start the letter. Little did I know, that this small habit would continue on for years to come and provide some relief, almost getting rid of the nightmares I still had at night.

_Dear Mom, Dad and Prim,_

_I miss you. I miss you all. For a while I was angry at you for leaving me. Leaving me in this cold, cold world to fend for myself and find a source of warmth. I've finally found my warmth in several things and no longer believe that this world is just as dark and dense as I had thought it was when Mom and Prim were still alive._

_I still have nightmares. A lot of them. Mostly about Calaysee but also about your deaths._

_You probably don't understand, even I don't understand all that much, what happened over the past 5 years._

_Ahh, what a story I have to tell you then…_

~10 years later~

Gale and I had two kids. I know, I've broken another promise to myself now but like Gale said, he would have kids if he didn't live in a place with the Hunger Games. Now that the games were completely abolished forever (hopefully) I wanted kids. The oldest is 9 years old and his name's Salem Hawthorne. The youngest is Violet Hawthorne and she's 4 years old. They both have black hair, olive skin and grey eyes. I couldn't make Violet's middle name Prim. It would hurt. Every time I would look at her I would see Prim. Her middle name is Tansy instead. I wasn't as close to my mother as Prim but she saved my life. She deserved it, even though she had abandoned me so many times. She was still my mother. And in the end I _had_ forgiven her.

The media had started to question us, interview us, stalk our every move but in the end I threw one of Peeta's bread rolls at them and they all dispersed. I also yelled a few things that I probably shouldn't have at them. Oh well, at least they left us alone now. I deserved my privacy after all the damn Hell I've gone through.

Boggs stands up and holds up a plastic trident and pretends to take aim and throw it. He looks like a much younger version of Finnick. He was almost an exact replica as him. The way he placed his feet and throws the trident was very similar to Finnick's. I glance at Annie worried that painful memories might come back. Sure enough, her eyes are misty. I lift Violet off my lap and she starts to cry a little but I quickly hand her to Gale. She quiets down as Annie's eyes start to gather tears. Boggs must sense something's wrong because he turns around and look at his mom. "Mom…?" I'm a step away. Annie looks at me, she's biting her lip and she was shivering slightly. Sivan jumps up too. I pull Annie against me. She starts sobbing. I try to comfort her by saying, "Shh, it's okay" over and over. It was still fairly hard for me though. I was still getting used to this whole "comforting" thing.

"I…I …thought time healed the pain… not make it worse…" She breathes in between sobs. Sivan taps my shoulder and I slowly let Sivan take my place. She was a lot better at this than I was. Sivan helps Annie to the washroom. Salem bursts into the living room a few minutes later, breaking the awkward silence.

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" He exclaims. Gale laughs. I sit back down next to him and take Violet from his lap. She giggles sweetly.

"What can I help you with?" Gale asks. Salem launches himself across the room to him. Boggs is staring wide eyed at him. He was probably jealous of Salem and how he had a father. I knew how Boggs felt but I guess worse. He didn't have a memory of his father to miss.

"I think I finally made the snare! Come look! Please?" Salem grabs my husband's hand and starts pulling him off the couch.

"Oh fine." Gale pretends to pout but he had a playful, energetic glint in his eyes.

"Can I come too?" Boggs asks. Salem nods cheerfully and the three boys run outside my home. That left me, Peeta and Violet, but Violet didn't talk much so basically me and Peeta.

We sit in silence for a while before Peeta says, "Odd how things turned out, huh?"

"Very."

"Who would have thought?"

"Apparently Greasy Sae." I laugh a little and Peeta smiles. I feel a familiar pain open up in my stomach again. The imaginary wound had all but healed. You can't heal completely from all that pain I suffered in life though can you? It left a scar that would reopen once and awhile, at small mentions of people who had died. Greasy Sae died 6 years ago in her sleep. It was about time that she passed away though. I think that old woman was 79 years old. She lived a longer life than most people did in District 12.

Haymitch was getting old too. I kept trying to get him to stop drinking. One of these days I swear he's going to die of Alcohol poisoning. Effie's been trying the same thing. She's had much more success on him than I have. Peeta and Sivan are happily married. They had two children, twins, a girl and a boy. The boy's name was Woof and the girl's name was Ginger. I felt bad for the other child that was on the way, well… based on the bump that mysteriously appeared on Sivan's stomach. I wonder what crazy names Sivan would come up with this time.

"I think it turned out pretty well don't you think?" Peeta states.

"Yeah…" I look around my living room.

"It's like someone has finally put down the last few puzzle pieces. It's like our journey has finally come to an end." I nod. The one thing though that haunted me every night were the nightmares about Calaysee. She could still be alive. They never found a body. There was blood but no _body_. I had to see Calaysee's lifeless body before I ever truly felt safe. I had made the mistake once of putting my guard down. She could still be out there. Healing up and planning for her next attack.

5 more years go by, birthday celebrations, school projects, and all that good stuff, suddenly appearing into my life. One day I just need to take a break from it all. I sigh as I step outside of Sivan and Peeta's home. I make my way to the fence. We had fixed it up but there were gates letting you out. We didn't want mutts that the Peacekeepers might have missed, running havoc in our re-born District. I walk over to a gate and open it up. I step out and take a deep breath. There were mockingjays singing a tune in the trees. A squirrel runs up a tree. I start walking, a few animals peek their heads out to look at me but others stay hidden in the undergrowth. My feet carry me towards a familiar rock, looking out over a valley. I've still never been down there. Maybe if I was extremely desperate I might end up hunting down there but we've barely _needed_ to hunt the last couple of years. I sit down, lean back and close my eyes. It was the middle of summer so it was nice and warm. I sit there in peace, thoughts flickering into my mind but I push them out. I clear my mind of worries and just let myself have one peaceful moment to myself. It's ruined quickly though. I feel an ice cold gaze glaring at me. A strong breeze appears sending my braid flying, leaves rustle. I open my eyes and freeze too afraid to do anything. I look around after about 5 minutes but the piercing cold stare is long gone. I look down at my hands; I am surprised to find a piece of paper rolled up in my hand. I pick it up and unwrap it. My heart drops as I read it, the writing a deep crimson red.

_Dear Mrs. Hawthorne,_

_Well, well. Looks like the Mockingjay isn't a great role model after all! Are you kidding me, Katniss? You're lying to yourself too? Good job! (Note my Sarcasm) Stop pretending our little time together never happened. It happened Katniss. You can't just erase that part of your life! The 76__th__ Hunger Games was not a dream. I wasn't just a hallucination. How do you explain your paranoia? I'm a real living person. I lost a lot of blood and time because of you but nothing will ever stop me from making you pay up. You owe me a lot, Katniss. _

_Thistle Crane was weak. I was the one who was supposed to be the President. That's what he said would happen. He would ask for me to be transferred out of prison and become the Vice president. Then he'd commit suicide. He would have done it too, but you were moving too quickly. You made us improvise. He was nervous, unsure of what we were doing. (Might I say, I explained it to him at least 100 times! __Idiot…) I'm working with someone much better this time, Liar. Someone who has never ever disappointed me. Expect them to appear in your life, very soon, Liar. Very soon._

_No, no. Don't go running away, scared for your own life. You're a mother now. There's something… well someone who means more to you than anyone. Your husband is at work from 10 to 5, 5 days a week. Salem is entering 10__th__ grade. Violet is going into 5__th__ grade. I would start following them everywhere, like a lost puppy. Well, I guess I wouldn't do that with my strength. I would do it if I was as weak as you are. Katniss, how many times did you actually cry in the past 20 years? Don't lie. Enough lying. That's what you got into this whole mess in the first place._

_Well, Katniss. You're probably wondering while I'm writing this. I wanted you to know that. This is not over. It will never be over. _

_May the odds be ever in your favor, Katniss._

_Looking forward to causing you pain,_

_Calaysee Coin_

~The End~

**GUYS ITS SO SAD! ITS FINALLY THE END OF NIGHTMARES! OMG I THINK IM CRYING… ;(. Well, the kids will be the main focus now for the sequel/continuation. WHO IS CALAYSEE'S SECRET WEAPON? What happened to Rory, Paige, Moss('cause of course you want to know what happened to me XD), Posy, Vick and the rest of the people.**

**This is good bye… for now… I'm taking a break to write more original stuff that I've been itching to write but haven't because… well… I've been writing this. I'll be posting it on I'll continue this soon. Promise. Nightmares is NOT done. I repeat NOT DONE! The journey has just come to a little pause. I'll post a new chapter on this telling you when I've posted the first chapter for the sequel. It will probably be sometime in April… The second week. Depends. Not really sure yet.**

**Also, I'll be writing a sort of galeniss, not really because it's when they were kids, thingy that's going to be a bunch of oneshots. :D I'm looking forward to it. **

**You guys made me sooo happy. You don't understand… This has been one of the best years in my life. I'm so happy I decided to write this (And post it). **

**I love you all.**

**~Moss**

**(See ya soon :D)**


	56. NEXT STORY IS OUT

I finally posted it I am so very sorry!

The title is "A Fading Phantasm" and I already have the first few chapters written and they will be released in the next few weeks!

ONCE AGAIN I AM SO SORRY I JUST GOT WRITER'S BLOCK ON THIS STORY FOR TWO YEARS AND I NEEDED A BREAK AND AGH! ALSO SCHOOL! SCHOOL GETS IN THE WAY A LOT!

Basically, I'm an idiot who made you guys wait super long for the next series.

If you are still here, I thank you.


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